Moving On
by TheWriterFormerlyKnownAsNixon
Summary: Takes place a few months after the series finale. After his not-so-happy reunion with Terra, Beast Boy has had trouble getting on with his life. One day, while exploring downtown after a pep talk from Cyborg, he finds Jinx, dumped by Kid Flash, has returned to crime. When the two begin to find comfort in each other's company, an unlikely romance begins to blossom... BBxJinx
1. Prologue

**Good morning, afternoon, or evening readers! Glad you could stop by. I won't bore you with a long AN, so let's get right to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or anything related to it.**

* * *

It was a warm summer afternoon in Jump City. The sun was shining bright, not a cloud in the sky. A gentle breeze was in the air. The giant T that was Titans Tower gleamed against the sunlight. A truly perfect day...

The perfect day to stay inside and play videogames.

"Oh you're going down now, B!"

Two figures sat in front of a giant television screen, both intensely focused on the race in front of them. Buttons and joysticks clicked and clacked rapidly as the two cars, one blue and one green, were neck and neck. The larger of the two players, was currently shouting various jeers and taunts as he attempted to trip his opponent up.

Said opponent didn't seem to react; he continued to stare ahead without a word.

The finish line was in sight now, and the cars couldn't have been more than foot apart. Sweat was starting to form on the racers' faces as their determination intensified.

"Oh come on baby… Push it, push it… That's it…!"

In a sudden burst of speed, the blue car barely reached the finish line first at the last second.

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg, the blue racer, roared as he jumped up from the couch in triumph. "Still the king, baby! Can't be this speed!" The big robotic man gloated as he did a victory dance.

Beast Boy, the green racer, said nothing as he quietly set his controller on the table. He too stood up, but only to stretch after sitting for a solid half hour or so.

Cyborg frowned at his friend's reaction. Normally Beast Boy was a bit more… Vocal about his losses. The fact that Cyborg failed to get a rise out of him was a bit concerning.

_Man, Robin wasn't kidding… Something's up._

* * *

_Beast Boy let out a small yelp as he was knocked onto his back. _

"_Come on, Beast Boy, focus!"_

_The green teen rubbed his head as he looked up at the source of his injury. Standing before him was his leader, Robin. The two were in the tower's training room for a scheduled sparring session, and things weren't going so well for Beast Boy._

_Robin sighed as the changeling slowly rose to his feet. Something was off about his teammate… His form was wrong, and he was taking hits he normally was able to block or avoid. Sure Robin generally won in the end, but Beast Boy usually put up more of a fight than this…_

_As he watched his opponent regain a fighting stance, he took a second to study his face. Robin was fairly good at reading people and he could tell his teammate's mind wasn't fully focused on the fight._

_As the green fighter charged, Robin suddenly went out of his fighting stance, holding up a hand. _

"_That's enough, Beast Boy," _

"_Huh?" Beast Boy came to a halt, nearly tripping in the process. "What do you mean that's enough? I haven't lost yet,"_

_The leader stared at him silently for a moment before sighing again._

"…_What's wrong, Garfield?" _

_At the mention of his real name, Beast Boy winced. Robin only ever called his teammates by their real names when it was about more personal issues. He faked a smile._

"_What are you talking about, dude? Everything's-_

"_Stop," Robin interrupted. "You were completely off in training, and I can see it in your eyes," Robin's normally hard look softened a tiny bit. "Look, Garfield, if you need to talk…"_

"_Nothing's wrong!" Beast Boy suddenly snapped at him, turning around. "…And stop calling me that. You know I hate that name,"_

_Of course Robin knew this, as did the rest of the team. But he was trying to remind Beast Boy that he was friend and family as well as teammate. On some level, Robin considered himself a big brother to the rest of his team, and felt it was his responsibility to help them out when they needed it. _

_Unfortunately, Beast Boy tended to be pretty stubborn when it came to talking about his problems. Despite his carefree attitude he had had a pretty rough life, and he hated talking about it. Finding out what was on his mind could be tough…_

_But Robin had a hunch._

"…_It's her again, isn't it?"When Beast Boy tensed up, Robin knew he was right. It had been a few months since the events with that odd white creature the Titans had faced… And when Beast Boy had thought he had found an old friend._

…_Terra._

_Whether or not that girl had been Terra was anyone's guess, though Beast Boy seemed pretty certain, and that she was gone from his life for good._

_Since then, Beast Boy hadn't quite been himself. He tried to hide it most of the time, but he would occasionally get like this for a day or two. Robin knew better than to try to pry._

"…_Look, why don't we call it early today alright?" Beast Boy said nothing at this; he only nodded before leaving the room. _

_As he left, Robin breathed another heavy sigh as the tension suddenly evaporated. He wanted to help Beast Boy, but if he refused to even talk about it then there was no way to do it…_

_Maybe Cyborg could get through to him…_

* * *

Robin had filled Cyborg in on what had gone down at training. Seeing Beast Boy now, he could definitely believe it.

"…Everything all good, B?" He asked, hoping he'd get lucky.

"Yep. Just fine," Beast Boy said quickly. "…Look, I think I'm done playing for now, that cool?"

"Yeah yeah, sure thing," There was a small, awkward silence. "…You know, she's not the only girl out there,"

Cyborg was fully aware of what he may have been setting off, but if he could tell he was going to have to be direct.

"…What are you talking about?" Beast Boy pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"Come on, B, don't make me say her name," Cyborg rolled his eyes. "You know damn well what I'm talking about,"

The changeling's body tensed up; Cyborg braced himself as he kept speaking.

"Look, it's been over 3 months man! You need to snap out of it,"

"Oh, just like that?" Beast Boy snapped. "I should just forget about her? Forget about the only girl that's ever even been REMOTELY interested in me!?" Cyborg winced as the small titan raised his voice.

"I'm not saying to forget about her," Cyborg tried to calm his teammate down. "But you can't just mope around forever! You gotta move on!"

"Easy for you to say!" Beast Boy growled. "You and Robin think it's SO easy, don't you? Just find another girl Beast Boy! Yeah sure, I'll get right on. All the girls LOVE green skin!"

Cyborg rubbed his temples as his teammate seethed.

"I'm not saying you have to find another girlfriend or something," He was getting a bit impatient with his teammate constantly twisting his words. "But you can't keep living in the past, man! Do you really think Terra would want you to just sit here and pout?"

This last sentence really set Beast Boy off as he whipped around to face Cyborg.

"What did you just say…?" He glared straight into Cyborg's eyes. "Don't you DARE talk about her like that! You think you know how she thinks? You think you know her better than me!?"

"You think I'm wrong?" The two were now directly in front of each other, fully upright as they glared at each other. Cyborg didn't like being so hard on his friend, but he needed this. "Don't you think she'd want you to move on and live your life? Don't you think she'd want you to be, you know, happy!?"

Beast Boy's hands were clenched into fists as they trembled.

"Stop…"

"What if she came back right now, huh? You think she'd be happy to see you acting the way you are now?"

For a second Cyborg was sure he was about to get punched as the two stared each other down.

Suddenly, Beast Boy's whole body quaked. Without warning, his collapsed onto the couch.

"…No…" Tears began to form in his eyes. "No, she wouldn't would she…?"

Cyborg breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally gotten through to him.

"Look…" The cybernetic titan sat down next to his crying teammate, placing a big hand on his shoulder. "It's alright to miss her. But you can't let that run your life, you know?"

The changeling nodded. He had needed to hear this for some time.

"I just… She was the f-first girl to ever r-really care about you know…?" He sobbed quietly.

"Look, I get where you're coming from man. It's hard for guys like you and me to find someone. But look at me; I've had my share of girls come and go, but I don't let it keep me down," He clapped his teammate on the back. "What happened to being the lady's man, huh? You've saved the world how many times now?"

Beast Boy let out a small laugh as his friend tried to cheer him up.

"And look at Robin and Starfire? If bird boy can find a girl that can have fun with him, anyone can,"

At this the duo laughed heartily; it was the first time Beast Boy had really laughed in a little while.

"You're right though, I can't just keep moping around… She wouldn't want that," Beast Boy rose to his feet.

"So, feeling up for another round," Cyborg held up the controller. Beast Boy glanced out the window.

"…Actually, I'm thinking of heading downtown for a bit. Wanna clear my head a bit, you know,"

"Alright, I get you. Kick your butt any time,"

"Hah! That one was a fluke. You'll be eating my dust next time,"

Cyborg laughed, happy to see his friend (mostly) back to his normal self. At this, Beast Boy headed out, eager to get some fresh air.

A moment after he left, another figure entered the room.

"So it worked?"

"Seems that way. I don't expect the little guy to just completely drop it, but he definitely looked happier," Cyborg paused. "You wanna play? Could use some fresh meat,"

Robin smirked as he sat down next to the robotic titan, picking up a controller.

"Just don't cry too much when you lose," He paused. "And what was that about me and Starfire supposed to mean?"

Cyborg simply laughed as the two began to race.

* * *

Beast Boy gazed down at the city as he flew through the late afternoon sky in hawk form. Flying through the cityscape was very relaxing for him, and it was a perfect way to help him get over his small depression even more. The city below him was bustling with activity, with countless people shuffling about. Eyeing the market street, he decided to land and explore some of the stores. Who knows? Maybe he'd run into some old friends. After all, other titans liked to visit the city occasionally.

He didn't know how right he was…

* * *

The door bells jangled as she walked into the jewelry store. She gazed around in wonder at the vast amounts of jewels and precious stones sitting in the display cases.

The man sitting at the counter looked up from his book to see the potential customer enter. He could get a good look at her due to the baggy coat she was wearing, but he could tell it was a girl no older than 16 or 17.

Strange to be wearing a coat in this weather though…

What was more suspicious was the hat that seemed to be bulging out, like something was stuffed underneath it. A bit suspicious and curious, he got up.

As he walked over to her, she was gazing at a case with a necklace with a large black and purple jewels set in it with great interest.

"Ma'am?" The proprietor asked as he approached the girl. "Did you need help with anything?"

The girl turned to look at him; he was surprised her extremely grey skin and pink, cat-like eyes.

"That's alright," He leapt back as her eyes and hands began to glow an ominous pink. "I think I'll just help myself,"

* * *

**Well, that's the prologue! Hope I was able to capture the characters' personalities well, I don't have experience writing this series. Reviews are appreciated!**


	2. Trust

**Hello again! If you're reading this, I guess that means you were interested enough to read past the first chapter. Hopefully I can keep that interest up!**

* * *

"Dude, no way!" Beast Boy cried in disbelief as he stared at the item in his hands. "There's no way! He died back in issue 56!"

The young hero had been exploring downtown for a little while now, and was currently checking out a comic book shop. The book he was currently holding had apparently brought back a character that had been killed off previously in the series.

"Yeah man, it's a crazy issue. Totally worth the read though," A large man sitting behind a counter, likely the owner of the shop, was currently conversing with Beast Boy about various comics.

"You're telling me!" He threw the book onto a disturbingly large pile of other various comics sitting on the counter.

He had a lot of catching up to do…

"So will that be all?" The owner's lack of surprise at the giant stack of comics suggested that this was a common occurrence with Beast Boy.

"Yeah, these should keep me going for the next week or two, how much do I owe…" he suddenly trailed off as his body tensed slightly. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

"Hm? You alright?"

"…Something's not right," The young titan's voice took on a much more serious tone.

It was a phenomenon that was difficult to explain, but Beast Boy had a sort of "Sixth Sense" when it came to nearby trouble at times. He figured it had something to do with his animalistic nature affecting his instincts in some way, as it had become much more apparent ever since "The Beast" incident.

Regardless of what the reason was, he could sense when something was amiss nearby.

"…Sorry Moe, I'm gonna have to put these on hold,"

"Duty calls?" The owner, Moe, seemed to understand the situation.

"Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can," Beast Boy reassured him as he headed for the door.

* * *

"Alright, come out wit- huh?"

Beast Boy blinked a few times as he burst through the door. He was expecting to find this place ransacked…

"…I could've sworn it was here…"

The shapeshifter's "sense" had led him to a jewelry store a couple blocks from the comic book shop. The sign said it was closed and the lights were off, but he didn't buy it.

Naturally, he assumed he'd find some robbers inside, or at least signs that they had struck. Instead, the place looked completely undisturbed.

_Did I get the wrong place…?_

He scratched his head as he continued to ponder why his instincts had led him here when he heard a sound come from behind the counter.

"Bingo,"

Happy his intuition may still be correct, he quickly made his way to the back of the store and looked behind the counter...

…Where a man lay bound and gagged with rope and tape.

"Mmph!" The man wriggled a bit as he made a muffled cry upon seeing Beast Boy.

"Hold on, I'll get you out of that," He wasted no time. Kneeling down next to the man, he grabbed hold of the ropes tying his arms together. "Hold still," he instructed as he morphed into a chimpanzee. With raw strength he ripped the ropes binding the man's limbs. Morphing back, he turned him around and grabbed hold of the tape covering his mouth, but hesitated.

"Mmph?"

"…Look, I'm gonna tear this off in one quick move," He stared the man square in the eye. "It's probably going to hurt. A lot."

"Mmph…" The man nodded reluctantly, knowing there wasn't really another choice.

"I'm going to do it on 3. You ready?"

"Mmph."

"1."

The man braced himself.

"2."

He shut his eyes.

"3!"

"AAAAAAAHHOOOWWWW!" A cry of pain erupted from the owner's mouth as the tape was torn off. A large red streak could be seen across his face. Beast Boy gave him a moment to recover before questioning him.

"Who did this?"

"Hell if I know!" The store owner was clearly shaken up by the events that occurred, and spoke rather quickly. "Some crazy bitch just flashed some pink light, and the next thing I know I'm on the floor! Meanwhile she's somehow disabled the locks and alarms on my display cases and is scooping up my jewelry!"

Beast Boy was having a hard time keeping up with his tirade.

"Wait, pink light?"

"Yeah! And when I tried to get up and stop her, she did it again! Suddenly I'm tripping over myself like my shoes are untied. Before I can get back up she's suddenly on me with a rope and… Well, you know the rest,"

"Did you manage to get a good look at her?"

"She was wearing a disguise… But her face was all grey, and she had these pink, cat-looking eyes,"

_Hm… Pink light, grey skin, cat eyes…_

Then it hit him.

_..Tripping over yourself seems pretty unlucky…_

"How much did she take?"

"That's the weirdest part! She only took a few pieces from that case!" He pointed to the container in question. "She could have cleaned me out if she wanted to, but she stopped there and put me behind the counter before leaving!"

"Do you mind if I take a look?"

"If it'll help catch that bitch, then please do!" The owner was clearly outraged, and rightfully so. The green teen nodded before walking up to the open case. He scanned the inside of it, hoping to find anything he could use…

"Aha!" He grinned as he triumphantly held something up.

A single strand of thin, pink hair.

_No questioning it now…_

Wasting no time, he quickly transformed into a bloodhound and sniffed the hair for a moment, and then sniffed the air. When got the scent, he barked before bolting out the door into the street.

He debated calling the rest of the team on his communicator, but decided against it. If it really was who he thought it was, maybe he'd be able to reason with her… After all, she was one of them, wasn't she?

Meanwhile, the owner of the jewelry store rubbed his head as he sighed.

"I think it's time to move…"

* * *

In another part of town, a lone figure sat in a large, dank alley. Nearby, a large coat and hat lay in a dumpster. The figure was currently looking at a small, shiny object in its hand; a necklace with purple and black stones.

"Beautiful," Jinx whispered in awe as she continued to gaze at her prize. In her other hand was a small bag full of similar objects.

It had been a simple job; subdue the only witness, break the locks and short the alarms, and take what she needed. It was such a small and stealthy job that by the time word got out to anyone, she'd be long gone and in hiding.

She giggled, proud of her clever planning; after all, it hadn't been the first time she had done a job like this. She had done this 3 times now, making sure to take her time between each heist. Of course she struck at different parts of town as well, making sure to leave no patterns. Sure the witnesses accounts may have given clues, but nothing that would help find her.

It's how she had been able to avoid the Titans for over a month now.

She grinned; being a Titan had had its advantages. She had learned how they moved and operated, and with that information she was able to figure out how to stay off their radar (At least, as far as she knew).

…Of course, she might still be a Titan if it wasn't for _him_.

Her grip on the bag tightened; just thinking about _him_ made anger well up inside her.

She spotted an old, discarded mirror nearby. Getting up, she walked up to it and admired her own reflection.

Keeping her usual attire on may have been risky, but she loved it too much to take it off. It was a fashion statement, damn it!

She looked at herself for a few more seconds before putting on the necklace. As she expected, it looked absolutely perfect on her. She placed a hand on her hip, jutting it out to one side as she posed.

"Oh yeah, how about now hm? Do I look good enough for you now?" Her proud, happy attitude suddenly began to shift to one of resentment and bitterness. She scowled at her reflection. "Am I good enough for you now, Wally? Am I? AM I!?"

She screamed in rage as her eyes glowed pink. The mirror in front of her suddenly shattered.

"Guess not," She growled, panting slightly as she slowly calmed down. She looked at the mirror shards on the ground. She chuckled.

"Oops, guess that's 7 years bad luck…" She rolled her eyes. "Not that _I _ever have bad luck…"

"First time for everything, I guess," Jinx jumped as a male voice suddenly called out. She frantically looked around before spying someone standing between her and the alley's exit. "Because it looks like you're out of luck to me,"

Before her stood Beast Boy, his arms folded across his chest.

"How in the…" She whispered to herself, stunned that she had been found.

"Well I was having trouble, but you talking to yourself and breaking that mirror kind of gave you away," He apparently heard her.

_Heh, guess those ears aren't just for show._

Recovering from her surprise, she quickly went into a fighting stance. Beast Boy noticed her eyes darting around as if she was looking for something.

"Alright, where's the rest of the circus?" Jinx was expecting the rest of the Titans to jump out any moment.

Beast Boy thought for a moment. Maybe if he made her realize he was the only one here she'd ease up a bit. He didn't want to fight her; after all.

"Sorry to disappoint, but it's just me today," He changed his posture to try to send a peaceful message.

He immediately regretted it when he saw her smirk.

"Well, then this'll be easier than I thought," Her eyes glowed as she spoke, and a pink bolt of energy released from her hand.

"Crap!" Beast Boy cried out in surprise as he leapt back to avoid the blast; there was no telling what getting hit with her hex might do. When the attack seemed to pass harmlessly by, he laughed.

"Missed me!" He grinned as me mocked her.

Her eyes narrowed, but her smirk remained.

"Wait for it…"

Beast Boy gulped when he heard something creak above him.

"Uh oh…" He barely had time to utter before the old fire escape directly above him suddenly came crashing down.

Jinx cartwheeled back a few feet to avoid the dust and debris as the stairs collided with the ground.

"That should take care of him," She said, looking proudly at her handiwork as the dust began to settle. As she turned to look for another way out, she failed to notice a small mouse emerge from the pile of rubble.

"Now then, back to… Huh?" She turned as she heard scampering. "Oh son of a…"

Before she could react, the mouse leapt at her before suddenly morphing into a gorilla in midair. She tried to dodge but the massive ape easily got a hand on her and pinned her against the wall.

"Take your stinking paws off me you damn, dirty ape!" Despite her predicament, Jinx still found time to mock and joke. As she said this, her captor suddenly shrunk.

"Oh ha-ha, haven't heard THAT one before!" Beast Boy rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He still had Jinx pinned against the wall, his hands shoved firmly against her arms and his feet standing on top of hers. She tried to wriggle out, but found herself unable to escape.

_Wow… He's a lot stronger than he looks._

Sure she was rather slender, but for such a short and scrawny guy to be able to hold her down so easily was impressive to her. She eventually stopped and stared at him.

"...So…"

"Why did you do it?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I want to know why you did it,"

"Well, you were scaring me, and the fire escape was such a good target…" She feigned ignorance, but there was still a clear mocking tone in her voice.

"You know what I mean!" The changeling growled, tugging her arm up to show her the bag of jewelry in her hand. "I thought you were one of us now, Jinx!"

"So did I," The sudden seriousness in her voice surprised him.

"What do you mea-AH!"

In his shock, he had accidentally loosened his grip on the criminal for a moment. She wasted no time in suddenly rearing her legs up and kicking him square in the chest, launching him back a few feet.

Instead of taking the chance to escape, however, she crouched down into a fighting position. Trying to outrun a guy who could turn into a cheetah seemed like a bad plan, and he could easily track her so hiding wasn't much of an option.

She was going to have to "subdue" him.

As Beast Boy got to his feet, he noticed her stance had changed.

"Wait, I don't want to-

He didn't get a chance to finishing his pleading before she sprung at him. Thankfully his reflexes were quick enough to let him leap out of the way of her attack. She recovered quickly, though, and whipped around to kick again.

This time, though, he was ready for it; instead of dodging, he caught her leg.

"Crap," Was all Jinx had time to say before he pulled, knocking her off balance onto her rear.

She tried to recover, but her opponent was quick. He suddenly swung around behind her and grabbed hold of her arms again, bending them behind her back. He then forced her to the ground, setting a leg against the back of her knees to keep her still. Once again, he had her pinned.

"Damn it, would you just listen to me for 5 seconds!" Jinx could tell by his voice that Beast Boy was quickly losing patience. "I don't. Want. To fight you."

"Well, that makes one of us," her snark only served to annoy him further as he simply growled in response. She moved her head to look up at him. "Why do you care why I did it? You're a Titan, I'm a criminal. You find me, beat me up, and put me in jail. That's how it's always been, right?"

"But you're NOT a criminal!" Despite the anger in his voice, Jinx could see a sort of pleading sadness in the hero's eyes; he seemed legitimately concerned about her.

And he was, of course; while he and Jinx didn't know each other too well, she was still a Titan, and therefore his friend. The past was the past… Wasn't it?

Jinx continued to stare at his face. She found his continued attempts to avoid fighting her a bit silly and naïve, but also comforting; she imagined most of his teammates would fight first, ask questions later, or at least given up by diplomacy by now. But he was pretty persistent… He could have just morphed into a bear or something and knock her out, or call in his teammates… But he didn't.

Curious, she decided to humor him.

"Alright, alright… I'll talk," she finally gave him. Beast Boy breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "…But only if you let me go," She smiled innocently as he glared at her.

"Right. I release you, you kick me again and run off," Maybe she had pushed her luck a bit too far…

She sighed, and looked him in the eye.

"Look Beast Boy, I'm trusting you to keep some important secrets," His glare vanished as her sudden shift to a serious tone surprised him again. "Can I do that?"

"Uh…Well, sure!" The question had clearly caught him off guard a bit.

"Then I need you to trust me in return,"

There was a brief silence as Beast Boy hesitated. He studied her face, also seeing a pleading look in her catlike eyes. He found himself somewhat mesmerized by them as he stared.

Suddenly, Jinx felt his grip on her arms vanish; the weight of his leg on hers also disappeared.

She looked at him as he stood up. She saw an obvious window to attack him again, but ignored it.

She had meant what she said.

Rising to her feet, she rubbed her arm as she mentally commented on the green hero's strength yet again. She smiled inwardly as she imagined how muscular he must actually be under that shirt…

"Uh… Jinx?"

"Hm?" She quickly pushed those odd thoughts away. "Right, where to begin...?" She thought for a moment. "…Look, I'm not a Titan anymore, got it?"

"W-what!?" Beast Boy was astonished. "But you and Kid-eep!"

Jinx suddenly got up in his face, a fist formed.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't mention that name," She hissed, eyes glowing for the intimidation effect. Beast Boy nodded rapidly; he now had a pretty good hunch about what happened.

"But yes, _him_," She said "him" through gritted teeth. "He and I are… No longer seeing each other,"

As he thought. He wanted to question why, but this seemed like a very touchy subject for her… He knew that feeling.

"If you don't mind me asking… What happened?" He decided to chance it and ask.

He swear he felt himself shrink when she glared at him again.

"I-I mean, if you d-don't want to talk abou-

"No, no…" Her eyes suddenly softened as sadness filled her voice. She had no reason to be mad at him; it wasn't HIS fault or anything. "Sorry, I just…" She sighed yet again. "About a month ago or so, we were… Having some fights,"

Beast Boy seemed to recall hearing something about that, but nothing seemed to come of it.

"About what?" He never found out why.

"Hmph. Because _Wally_ wouldn't stop flirting with every girl he ran into,"

_Uh oh…_ Beast Boy found himself remembering the time when Killer Moth forced Robin to date his daughter… Starfire's jealousy that day was terrifying. While this wasn't the same situation, he could still imagine the arguments…

"And I don't mean that like I jumped at him every time he looked at a girl; I mean ACTUAL flirting. Winks, whistling, that kind of crap. Right in front of me too!" Her anger was quickly rising again as she began to pace back and forth. "Of course, when I bring it up he starts to turn it on me, saying I'm being too clingy or defensive or something… We fought for a few days about it, and then…" She trailed off. "And then…"

Beast Boy braced himself as he saw the tears start to come; he could already tell what her next words were.

"…He dumped me," Water trickled down her face as she began to quiver. "Just like that. All that crap about believing in me and helping me turn my life around? Apparently meant nothing anymore," she sobbed quietly; this was clearly something she had kept bottled up for some time.

Beast Boy was not sure how to react; comforting girls was not something he ever claimed to be good at. Even so, the changeling found himself walking up to the crying girl and resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, it's going to-oof!"

It seemed to be the right call, as Jinx suddenly embraced him, now fully sobbing into his shoulder. He said nothing; he simply held her there, letting her let it out.

He gritted his teeth as she sobbed; he hated the sound of a crying girl. He found himself feeling anger towards Kid Flash; what was he thinking? He was the whole reason she had joined the Teen Titans!

"Idiot…" he muttered to himself.

After several minutes, Jinx's sobbing slowed; slowly, she calmed down as she let go of Beast Boy.

"…You alright?" He asked. She simply nodded, her eyes now red and puffy.

"I'm sorry, but… I really needed that," Beast Boy just smiled softly, happy she seemed to be stable again. "…So yeah, once that happened, I felt no reason to stay on the team,"

"Huh?" Beast Boy blinked; he had forgotten what they were talking about for a moment. "Oh… But wait, why?" He was confused. "You could have just joined another group, right? I know you were upset but…"

Jinx scoffed, apparently amused by his statement.

"Oh sure, the other Titans would just be THRILLED to have an ex-criminal on their team," she rolled her eyes as her sarcasm returned. Her rapid shifts in tone never failed to surprise Beast Boy…

"What do you mean?"

"Oh don't play dumb, you know what I mean. I was always an outsider to the rest of you. A crook that piggybacked her way in on her boyfriend's heroics."

"Jinx…"

"Don't try to deny it! I saw the stares whenever I was around, heard the whispers…" She laughed emptily. "You should've seen the day Robin gave me my communicator… He had like a million questions for me to make sure I was serious about joining. Stuff about H.I.V.E, the Brotherhood of Evil, you name it."

"Hey come on, the guy was raised by Batman. I don't think that guy trusts anyone!"

"Oh, he wasn't the only one believe me…"

Beast Boy frowned. Had he acted this way towards her without realizing it?

"Wally was the only one I thought really believed in me…" Her hands balled into fists. "Turns out that was all a bunch of crap too. So I figured I had no reason to stay,"

"So what, you just gave up?" Beast Boy's tone hardened; he understood she was upset, but her decision to leave seemed a bit impulsive.

"Hmph. Why bother sticking around? Everyone treated me like I was still a criminal; may as well play the part,"

"So prove them wrong!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "You obviously didn't want to leave!"

He found it odd he was describing the Titans as "they" as opposed to "we".

"Prove them wrong?" She laughed again. "You can't just make people forget your past!" She held up her bag. "This? This is all I've ever known,"

"It doesn't have to be, Jinx," The two were getting closer, now arguing.

"I was an outcast, Beast Boy. I didn't belong,"

"No you weren't!"

"Nobody trusted me!"

"I TRUSTED YOU!"

Jinx's eyes widened as he yelled this last sentence.

"Wha…"

"Why shouldn't I have trusted you? What's so weird about someone wanting to turn over a new leaf? You fought alongside us against the Brotherhood of Evil. You helped us round up stranglers and escapees for months after. " He paused. "You asked me if I could trust you, right?"

"…Yeah,"

"Well, I can. And I am… Look, I know you're upset but… This isn't you anymore, Jinx. I know it's not,"

Jinx looked at the ground, a sad and regretful look on her face.

…Did he really feel that way? They had fought so many times in the past… Hell, she had taken his home once. Did none of that bother him?

She recalled never seeing him act different around her…

She had convinced herself she was leaving the Titans because they didn't trust her, but… Maybe she was just justifying something. Maybe she was just a girl throwing a tantrum over being dumped… Maybe it was just a way to help her cope.

She fought back tears; no more crying, not today.

Suddenly, she held out the bag of jewelry.

"…Take them," She said softly. "Take them back, please,"

Beast Boy grabbed the bag slowly; she still was staring at the ground.

"I will… Thank you,"

There was a small silence.

"…Can you do me a favor?" She suddenly asked.

"Hm?"

"…Don't… Don't mention this… To your team,"

"Hey, you trusted me to keep a secret right?" She looked up to see him smiling. He pretended to zip his mouth shut before giving a thumbs-up. She giggled at this, happy he was following through on that promise.

_She's got a cute laugh…_

_He's got such a sweet smile…_

The two stared at each other for a moment, odd thoughts forming in both of their heads.

"…Uh, Beast Boy? Jewels?"

"Huh? Oh!" He remembered the bag. "Right, I should… Take care of that," He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

He wanted to ask her to go with him, to go to the tower… But he knew she'd decline. She obviously needed some time alone to think…

"Well… Goodbye, I guess," He said awkwardly as he turned to go.

"Wait," He turned back around. Jinx had her arms behind her back, twisting one foot back and forth in front her as she stared at the ground. "…Thanks for… Well, everything," She seemed a bit embarrassed about thanking him.

"Hey, don't mention it! Like I said, you're a friend. A Titan. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

With that, he left the alley, somewhat worried about where the conversation might have turned…

Jinx stood there as he left, reflecting on everything that had happened. She smiled as the his last sentence echoed in her mind.

_Yes… I am a Titan, and nobody's going to change that._

* * *

**Phew! Sorry if that dragged on for a bit. I couldn't think of a good place to cut it. Hope you enjoyed!  
**


	3. Evening Reflections

**Welcome back readers! Let's get right to it, shall we?**

* * *

It was sunset by the time Beast Boy had arrived back at the tower. He felt relief wash over him as he approached; it had been quite an eventful day…

After his encounter with Jinx, he had promptly returned the stolen jewelry to the store. Thankfully the owner had not contacted the police in the time he was gone. Apparently he assumed they would just get in the Titans' way or something.

He moved towards the door, the stack of comic books from before piled in his arms; he had returned to the comic store to finish his purchase before heading back in order to help him explain where he had been for so long.

After all, he had no intention of telling anyone about what had happened. A promise was a promise.

As he opened the door, he suddenly felt his "danger sense" pick up again. He froze up, bracing himself as the doors parted…

…And immediately covered his nose as a horrifying stench overcame him.

"Friend Beast Boy, you have returned!" He was immediately greeted by the always-cheerful Starfire. She currently had on an apron and was "cooking" (If you could call it that)… Something… On the stove.

"Uh… Hey Starfire!" He withdrew his hand to avoid offending her, trying to hold his breath as he did.

"Cyborg tells me you are feeling much better! Tell me, have you eaten yet?"

Beast Boy glanced at the wriggling mass on the stove.

"Er… Um… Yeah, I grabbed something downtown… Sorry," He said apologetically, forcing a smile as he fought back tears. He was lying of course.

"Oh… How strange, it seems everyone had already eaten… Why does this always seem to happen when I cook?" She scratched her head, puzzled.

Her naivety was truly astounding at times…

"I um… I'm going to go put these books in my room, see you!" He exclaimed as he hurried out the room. As he moved past the stove, he could swear he felt whatever was sitting on it WATCHING him…

As he left the kitchen, he began breathing heavily; he hadn't been so thankful for fresh air in a long time…

"Sorry, probably should've warned you before you got back."

Beast Boy looked up to see Cyborg standing in front of him, an apologetic look on his face. "She just suddenly decided it was her turn to cook tonight…"

"Dude, I think she's creating new life in there or something!" Beast Boy exclaimed, a hint of fear in his voice.

"So the usual then…Well if you haven't eaten, we're all ordering pizza later," it was clear his teammates had lied about eating as well.

"I think I'll take you up on that."

"Thought so. So, how was the city?"

"Eh," the smaller Titan shrugged. "Alright I guess. Walked around town, went to the park for a bit, picked up some new books. Normal stuff."

He obviously left out one particular detail.

"Sounds like a good time to me!" Cyborg clapped his teammate on the back. "Good to see you're back to yourself,"

"Yeah… Thanks again for that dude… Are the others around here too?" Cyborg nodded.

"Yeah, think they're both in their rooms as usual… We're, uh, avoiding the kitchen for the time being," he explained.

_Raven's busy, good…_

On his way back, Beast Boy had been worried about Raven. It was likely she would have been able to sense something when he explained what he was doing downtown… She was very good at that sort of thing.

It also seemed that nobody was aware of the robbery. Beast Boy intended to keep it that way.

"Alright, well I'm heading up to my room. Gotta organize these comics."

"Sure thing. I'll let you know when we're ordering so you don't starve," Cyborg assured him as the two went their separate ways.

* * *

Beast Boy flopped onto his bed as he dropped his stack of books on the floor. He wasn't really in the mood for reading right now; there was too much on his mind.

He rolled onto his back, staring up at the frame of the second bed above him.

_Wonder what she's up to…_

Jinx had been on the green Titan's mind ever since he left her in the alley. Where was she now? Did she have somewhere to stay? How was she surviving?

He was, in short, worried about her. He had no doubt she could handle herself, but if she really had been living like a criminal for more than a month, she must have stolen a lot of crap just to live.

Part of him wanted to head back out and look for her, but he knew better; he'd never find her, and his team would obviously find it suspicious that he was heading out again. Plus, she probably wanted to be alone after their "fight". Maybe he could look tomorrow…

_I hope she has a bed…_

He sighed, rolling onto his side.

He found himself remembering the last few moments of their conversation… They had both acted rather awkward.

_She DID have a really cute laugh…_ He remembered his random thought back in the alley, smiling a bit as her giggling echoed in his mind. Something about it was very comforting…

He shook his head a bit. Why was he thinking about that stuff?

He suddenly reached down and grabbed a random comic book from his pile. He didn't even check which one; he just needed a distraction.

He rapidly flipped through the pages, eager to get his mind off of Jinx. He didn't like where his thoughts were going…

…_She has really pretty eyes._

"Augh!" He cried out in frustration, rolling onto his back again as he tossed the book aside. His thoughts were persistent; the more he tried to repress them, the more they seemed to fight back.

He sighed again. There was no denying it; he found Jinx attractive. He always had, to some degree, but never really thought anything of it; he found a lot of girls attractive, after all.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how beautiful she was.

For one thing, he loved the color scheme she went with. Something about the pink, purple, and black just resonated with him, though he wasn't sure why. He even found himself attracted to her extremely pale skin… Maybe it was because he had oddly colored skin too?

But her eyes were the kicker. He loved their feline quality; likely something to do with his more animalistic tendencies, much like his heightened danger sense… And their radiant pink color was mesmerizing…

"…She's gorgeous…"

It wasn't just her body; he also loved her personality. Like him, she had a pretty carefree attitude; nothing seemed to bother her much (At least until today). He was a big fan of her snarkiness; it made her so much more lively. But she was also very upbeat and energetic. Of course, she did have a bit of a temper at times… Today proved that.

But why now? Why was this suddenly on his mind so much? He had spoken to her several times before after she had joined the team, and never felt anything significant…

_But that was before Terra was…_

He tensed up as the blonde girl that had plagued his mind for so long reappeared. Was his sudden attraction to Jinx just a coping mechanism? Was he just trying to forget Terra more?

…Or had he felt this way all along and been too distracted by Terra to realize it…?

"…Oh who am I kidding?" He suddenly said. Maybe he did actually feel this way, or maybe it was his mind's way of trying to deal with recent events; either way, it wasn't like she felt the same way.

He picked up another comic, laughing to himself.

"Like I'd ever have a chance with her…" He muttered as he opened the book, finally pushing the thoughts from his head.

For now, anyways.

* * *

Jinx growled as the lock refused to budge.

"Come on you piece of…" No matter how hard she forced the key, it didn't seem to work. "Just cooperate for once."

For the millionth time the thought of just breaking down the door crossed her mind. A devious smile appeared on her face as she thought of her wooden nemesis splintering into hundreds of pieces.

Of course, she couldn't break down her own door.

The door finally conceded as the lock turned. The ex-H.I.V.E student opened the door and entered, flicking on the light.

Nobody would call the room she entered glamorous, or even decent for that matter. Poorly lit, cramped, and drafty, it consisted of a single room with little more than a couch and TV connected to a tiny kitchen and bathroom. A single closet could be seen in the corner.

"Home sweet home…"

Jinx had been living in this apartment ever since she left the Titans. It was tiny, dirty, and in the sucky part of town, but it was cheap and the owner didn't ask questions. Sure she had to deal with the occasional troublemaker or two, but she always sent them running.

She locked the door behind her just to be safe, and walked over to a cabinet in the kitchen.

"Alright, let's see… Do I feel like beef or chicken tonight… Or maybe shrimp?" She laughed to herself as she stared at a shelf full of microwavable noodle cups. Grabbing one at random, she filled it with water and stuck it in a microwave.

It had been rough at first, but she had gotten pretty used to living here. She could survive on what little money she had saved up, as well as any funds she "acquired" while out on the town. Plus, it wasn't like she had any other options; she couldn't exactly go back to H.I.V.E, and she had dirtied her hands enough by now to make rejoining the Titans a bit of a stretch. Granted, this wasn't meant to be permanent, but she didn't have much of a plan just yet.

The microwave beeped after a few minutes, signaling her dinner was done. Grabbing the steaming cup and a spoon, she sat down on her couch (And bed), flicking on the television.

The picture was crummy, as always, but it was something to keep her busy. Plus she wanted to see if any robberies had made the news…

She leaned back, propping her legs on the small coffee table in front of her as she reflected on things. She tended to think about a lot of things during this time of the day; her time with H.I.V.E, her fights with the Titans, her time with the Titans… And of course, Wally.

She thought about Wally a lot.

Some days she thought of the good times she had with him. Others she thought of the fights. And some days, she just thought about how he left her.

Mostly the last one.

* * *

"_Come on, it's not like I actually did anything,"_

"_That's not the point! Maybe if you started realizing that we could actually get somewhere!"_

"_Is it a crime to find other girls pretty now? All I did was glace at her."_

"_YOU WERE STARING AT HER ASS!"_

_Wally West, AKA Kid Flash, winced as his girlfriend screamed. The two were sitting in their apartment, coming back from another disastrous date. Wally was leaned against the sofa as his girlfriend was going off on him, her face practically boiling with rage. It had been the third time this week they had fought like this…_

"_She had her back turned and was bending down! It was impossible to NOT stare at it!"_

_Jinx was at a loss for words. How was he not getting this? _

_It always went this way. The two of them would be out, and sure enough Wally would find himself sweet talking some random girl, or staring at one just a bit too long… All right in front of Jinx._

_And when she brought it up, he never seemed to think it was wrong. On the contrary, he blamed HER, saying stuff like "You're too controlling," or "You're getting too clingy." It drove her mad._

_Wally sighed, rubbing his temples. To him, this sort of behavior was perfectly acceptable; being tied down to one girl was just not his style, even if he was with one. It was just his nature to always be on the move. And it wasn't like he ever followed through on his flirting; at the end of the day, Jinx was his girl._

_Or at least, that's what he used to think…_

"_Listen, Jinx…" He sighed. "This has been going on for way too long,"_

"_You got that right!" Jinx was fuming; he was surprised she hadn't tried to hex him yet. Usually by this point he'd have to run off somewhere until she simmered down._

"_Look, you know me. I can't stay in one place for long," he explained. He had been thinking about this for some time… "Hanging with just one girl is… Well, I just can't do it."_

"…_What are you talking about?"_

"_I'm talking about us… And how, well… It's not working so well anymore,"_

_Jinx suddenly felt like her entire world had flipped upside-down. Her rage suddenly vanished as a blank expression appeared on her face. Her mind grew hazy._

_Kid Flash sighed. He knew this wasn't going to be easy…_

"_Look, I just… I need someone who's more… You know… Understanding about this sort of thing, you know?" _

_Jinx was finally starting to get a grasp on what was happening. _

"_W-wally…"_

"_Aw crap, don't…" He could already see the tears forming. "Look, I don't know how else to word it. We can't keep going on like this, fighting all the time," _

_Jinx finally snapped into reality._

"_So, that's it then!?" She exclaimed, some of her anger returning to her voice. "You're leaving me because I want someone who's actually faithful!?"_

"_Jeez, you say it like I'm sleeping with them! This is exactly what I'm talking about!" Jinx's hands, now fists, were trembling as he spoke. She tried to hold back her tears, but she could feel warm water sliding down her cheeks. "I feel like I'm in cage here and…"_

_He stopped himself as his now ex-girlfriend's eyes began to glow._

"_Oh boy…" _

_He bolted off as an enormous wave of hex energy erupted from Jinx as she screamed. Around her, true chaos unfolded. Glass shattered, pipes broke, chair legs snapped, appliances fried. Tears were now streaming down her face unhindered as she collapsed onto the ground._

_By the time Wally had returned, the only trace of Jinx he found was her communicator, smashed to pieces._

* * *

It was a memory Jinx frequently relived; no matter how many times she remembered it, the pain was always just as strong.

However, that was not what was on her mind tonight.

As she sat there, the glow of the TV illuminating her pale face, she couldn't help but think of Beast Boy.

The events in the alley that day had shaken her up quite a bit. For the first time in awhile she had actually began to consider trying to return to the Titans. For the first time she felt like there was someone out there she could actually rely on.

It was easily the longest interaction she had ever had with the young changeling. She smirked as she remembered how annoyed he got gotten at her as she messed with the little guy get so flustered was… Kind of cute to her.

Cute was a word that kept popping up in her head. On some level, she had always used it describe the green teen. There was something about his single exposed tooth, big pointy ears, and short stature she just found appealing. Plus there was his child-like personality; he acted goofy, but he could get riled up so easily…

Thing is, she had always thought of him as cute in the way one thinks a little dog is cute. But now…

She remembered their brief fight, and how easily he pinned her down twice. Once again she couldn't help but wonder what he must look like underneath that outfit in order to be so strong…

For a moment, the image of a shirtless lean yet buff Beast Boy flashed in her mind.

"Ah!" She jumped at her own semi-dirty thought, blushing slightly.

"God, look at me… Is it hot or cute, Jinx? Pick one."

Jinx had been playing with the idea of being attracted to Beast Boy for a few hours now. It certainly surprised her; she had never thought of him as more than a sort-of-teammate at best. Yet somehow it didn't feel weird either. Yeah he was green; so what, she was practically grey. He was a shapeshifter? She was pretty much a witch.

He wasn't like the others; even when they were enemies, she never felt any real hostility from him. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the banter they would sometimes share as they fought.

_So many bad luck puns…_

His happy-go-lucky attitude was what had always made him stand out from the other Titans to her. Sure Starfire was also cheerful, but that was on a level that made Jinx feel downright uncomfortable. With him it was more natural. He just seemed like a fun guy to be around...

She sighed. The more she thought about these things, the more ridiculous it sounded.

"Me and Beast Boy… A former H.I.V.E Academy star student and one of the original Teen Titans… Yeah right," She laughed. It was probably just her brain trying to find someone to fill the hole Wally had left…

She set her noodle cup down, yawning. It was a bit early, but she was rather beat from today's events. Pushing aside her thoughts about Beast Boy for now, she grabbed some blankets and lied down on the couch.

As she slowly drifted off to sleep, she smiled. For a brief moment, the idea of her and Beast Boy didn't seem like such a stretch after all.

But only for a moment.

* * *

"Are you almost ready, Beast Boy?"

"Hang on, hang on… Gotta get my shoes."

"Please do hurry! I do not wish to be late!"

"You can't 'be late' to the mall, Starfire… It hasn't even opened yet."

While the rest of the Titans managed to get their pizza without Starfire ever catching on last night, Beast Boy still felt a little bad; she had looked disappointed when he turned down her "meal".

So to make it up to her, he offered to accompany her on one of her mall adventures. Of course she was ecstatic; it wasn't often anyone wanted to join her. She often had to trick someone into going.

That someone usually being Robin.

Unfortunately for her, Robin was very preoccupied with work. He mentioned something about robberies that had been occurring over the last month or so, and a possible link between them. Whatever it was, he was determined to figure it out. So when Beast Boy offered, she gladly accepted his company.

"All set, let's go!"

The pair headed out the door. Beast Boy knew he was in for another tiring day, but he didn't really mind. He enjoyed Starfire's company, and he was happy to get out of the tower again.

And secretly, he was hoping he might meet someone else there…

* * *

Jinx stared at herself in the mirror, making sure the illusion was complete.

Staring back was the reflection of a girl with brunette girl with a few pink streaks, and deep brown eyes. She wore a black t-shirt and tan colored shorts.

She hated this disguise; the wig was itchy, the colored contacts felt weird, and she wasn't used to the clothes. Besides, she had worked very hard to maintain her normal look; she hated hiding it.

Of course, this was the only way to really move in public. Yesterday was an exception; she occasionally went out without it because of the thrill it brought her. Going out without a disguise was dangerous, and at times she needed the excitement.

Of course, it had almost cost her everything. She was lucky (Heh) that Beast Boy was the one to find her.

Today was different; she was in the mood for something a bit more mellow and relaxing, so disguise it was.

She gathered up her things and headed for the door.

After the craziness of yesterday, a day at the mall was just what a girl like her needed.

* * *

**The break-up scene was definitely the toughest part to write so far; I tried to keep Kid Flash somewhat in character and not be a COMPLETE jerk. Hope you enjoyed, and see you next time!**


	4. Mission at the Mall

**And I'm back! **

* * *

It hadn't been open long, but the mall was already bustling with activity by the time Starfire and Beast Boy arrived. One might have expected them to be swarmed by a crowd of fans, but only maybe a dozen or so people actually approached them; the Titans frequented the city often, and its citizens had gotten used to them walking around in public. Of course, there were always a few kids or more extreme fans that never got tired of seeing their favorite heroes. Thankfully, after a few high-fives and autographs, they were quickly left alone.

Despite having gone through every store in the mall at least a dozen times, Starfire treated every visit like a grand adventure. Beast Boy couldn't blame her; the massive variety of stores, stands, and restaurants must have taught her a whole lot about Earth life and culture. To an alien, this was sort of like a library.

"Where shall we venture first?" Starfire gazed around in wonder, unable to decide where she wanted to start.

"Hey, you know the place better than any of us," Beast Boy reminded her. He was fairly certain she knew most of the mall's employees on a first-name-basis.

He couldn't decide if that impressed him or terrified him.

"Yes but there are so many options…"

"Alright… How about that one?" He pointed to a random clothing store nearby. She gasped in excitement.

"Oh yes! I can see if Lisa is working, and I can ask her how things are with Brent and how school is going and if she ever bought that dog and…"

…Yep, definitely terrified.

_What have I gotten myself into…?_

* * *

"Too long… Too short… Ugh, too red…"

A lone girl was rapidly digging through a rack of dresses.

"I swear, nobody knows what fashion is anymore," she groaned, unable to find anything that suited her tastes. She scratched her head as she kept searching.

"Man I hate this thing…"

Jinx desperately wanted to throw the wig off, but that was obviously not an option. A little discomfort was worth staying off the wanted lists, after all.

"No, no, no… Hm…" She stopped as her hand rested on a dress. It wasn't anything spectacular, but its particularly green color had caught her eye. It reminded her of someone…

She scoffed, flipping past it. Green would look terrible on her, and she knew it.

_I have got to stop thinking about him._

She had been wandering around for about an hour, and Beast Boy had continued to occupy her thoughts. She was admittedly getting tired of it, but she couldn't seem to get him off her mind. She couldn't help but wonder if he was having the same problem.

_Oh get real, he's probably got tons of other stuff to deal with._ Unlike her, he was actually had responsibilities to people other than himself. While she enjoyed the idea of someone falling for her like she was for him, it was wishful thinking at best.

"_Falling for him"… Listen to yourself._

Part of her wanted desperately to find him again. Hopefully it would help her make up her mind about how she actually felt about him. But at the same time, she was scared; what if she decided she truly felt something for him? The prospect of trying to start another relationship so soon after the disaster that was her and Wally somewhat frightened her; hell, it was even with another Titan. And what reason did she have to believe he'd even be interested? As she recalled, he was caught up on that Terra girl, and then there was the possibility of Raven…

"Ugh…" she rubbed her forehead; all this "What-if" thinking was making her head hurt. She temporarily pushed the thoughts from her head as she returned to her dresses.

"Oooh… Here we go!" As she did, one finally met her expectations. She pulled it out; it had a simple design with black and pink coloration. It suited her perfectly...

She scowled when she saw the price tag.

"No way I could afford this now," she sighed, disappointment in her tone. "Unless…"

She looked around. Nobody was watching her at the moment.

_5 finger discount?_

Her jewelry robberies weren't the only crime she had committed lately; shoplifting had become one of Jinx's favorite past times. Thanks to her powers, alarms and cameras could easily be disabled and make it a very simple task. Granted, she never took much; some food here, some makeup there… Nothing ever actually noticeable.

She had the opportunity; this dress could easily be hers. She opened her handbag.

"_This isn't you anymore…"_

Jinx froze at Beast Boy's voice suddenly echoed in her mind, repeating his words from yesterday. She stared back down at the dress. It was almost begging for her to take it… But for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"No… No it isn't is it?" she said quietly as she slowly set the dress back. It was the first time in awhile had actually resisted an urge like this. "You just can't stay out of my head can you?"

"…How much longer are you going to take?"

"It's like you're right here…" She sighed, hearing his voice again.

"…Because I'm getting a little hungry and…"

She blinked. What was going on?"

"Only a few more minutes, I promise!"

"You said that a few minutes ago!"

_Wait, who the hell is that?… Oh no…_ She gulped as she realized those weren't her thoughts. She slowly turned her head.

Sure enough, standing just a few dozen feet away were Beast Boy and Starfire. From the sounds of it they had been here for awhile; the store was quite large, so it didn't surprise her that she hadn't noticed them until now.

Her mind was racing as her eyes rested on the green Titan; he seemed to be somewhat annoyed with his partner, who had a stack of clothing in her arms. She couldn't help but grin as she stared at his somewhat pouting face.

_He's so cute…_

She gave up trying to stop those sorts of thoughts; she found him attractive, simple as that.

She managed to take her eyes off him as she looked at his teammate; for a moment, she felt a tiny bit of jealousy. What was she doing here with him? Wasn't she with Robin? Unless she… And he…

Her eyes narrowed. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but she wasn't about to ignore this.

_Time for a little espionage…_

* * *

Beast Boy felt like he was going to die of boredom. He knew going to the mall with Starfire was going to be a rough time, but he didn't expect to be in the first store for over an hour. If she wasn't trying on more clothes, she was chatting it up with the employees.

_Aren't they supposed to be, like, working?_

Thankfully, it looked like she was finally wrapping up as she called out to him.

"I am all done Beast Boy! Did you have anything left to do here?"

"No, no, I'm all set!" He answered almost instantly, indicating his eagerness to leave. As the pair headed for the checkout, he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his beck stand up.

"Huh?" He turned around, but noticed nothing strange. "Odd… I could've sworn I felt someone was watching us…"

He turned back, still somewhat suspicious. It could have just been someone in the store was staring at them for a bit too long, but he couldn't be sure.

The checkout was mercifully quick; the clerk seemed to be aware of Beast Boy's impatience, and kept the chit-chat to a minimum.

"Where shall we go next?" Starfire asked as soon as they were out of the store. Beast Boy kept his mouth shut, not wanting a repeat of what happened last time. "Oh, what about there?"

He mentally sweat-dropped as she pointed to another clothing store.

"Um… Starfire, don't you think you've gotten enough clothes for today?" He prayed she would see reason.

"But they have such different outfits!" She seemed insistent on going there. The changeling sighed. It was going to be a long day… "But if you wish to go somewhere else, I understand,"

"Huh?" He was surprised at her response; normally she was in her own little world whenever she came here.

"I understand if you wish to do something different; Robin often goes off elsewhere too," She smiled. "I shall call you when I am finished here, and we can meet up again,"

"Sounds good to me," Beast Boy was relieved to be set free; shopping for clothes was just not his thing, and he had meant to check out the game store at some point.

The teammates went their separate ways. As Beast Boy headed off, a figure emerged from the store they had just come from and followed him.

Jinx silently cheered when she saw the pair separate. While she was able to conclude based on their conversation that they were not together, she still wanted to talk to Beast Boy alone… Couldn't risk getting caught, after all.

As she pursued her target, she began to wonder what she would actually say when she finally approached. She wasn't even sure if he'd know it was her unless she told him. But she couldn't just bring up the possibility of a date; she wasn't even sure if she wanted that yet. But what could she start with…

_You're over-thinking this, Jinx! Just act natural._

As she followed, she couldn't help but stare again. Granted, there wasn't much to look at from the back besides…

She shook her head rapidly as she moved her eyes back up.

_Great, now I'm acting like Wally._

Beast Boy suddenly turned a corner as he came to an "intersection". Picking up her pace, she followed suit.

"Oh no you don't… AH!"

As she came around the corner, a sight made her leap back in surprise.

* * *

_There it is again…_

Beast Boy touched the back of his neck, still feeling his hairs standing up. They had been doing this ever since he left the store with Starfire, and it was making him uncomfortable. He turned his head just enough to see behind him just to confirm his suspicions.

_Yep, still there… I'm definitely being followed._

He was almost certain the feeling he was getting was coming from a girl behind him. She had been in the store with them when he first started feeling odd, and she had been with him the whole time. She didn't look threatening; just a small brunette with some pink highlights, sunglasses, and a pretty standard outfit. A medium-sized bag hung from her arm.

He had decided not to make his knowledge of her apparent; he kept walking, pretending not to notice.

_I could try to lose her in one of the shops… But I want to find out what she's following me for._

It couldn't have been a fan; if they were this persistent, they just would have run up by now. But he didn't recognize her from any of the villains he had fought.

…Could it be Madame Rouge? She could basically become anyone, but she was under extreme security; he would know if she had escaped. Kitten? This girl looked about her age, but she'd be after Starfire or Robin, not him. Who could it be?

He saw a turn coming up, and got an idea.

_Alright, time to see what you want._

He made a sudden left, rounding the corner of a store. He moved a few more feet and suddenly stopped, turning around. Sure enough, the suspect soon came around the corner as well; her pace had seemed to quicken.

"Oh no you don't… AH!" It took her a moment to realize he was standing right there.

"Boo." He smirked, somewhat proud of his quick thinking. The girl quickly recovered from her shock.

"Oh man, you can't do that to people man! I almost ran into you," she scolded him, trying to put on an act. He wasn't buying it.

"Don't give me that," he said sternly as his smirk vanished. "I know you've been following me." He couldn't see her eyes, but could tell they had widened a bit.

"W-what? No I haven't," she stammered.

"Dude, you've been after me since we both left that clothes shop!"

"Maybe I'm just headed in the same direction as you. It's a big mall, you don't know!" She seemed offended at his accusations.

"Right, okay. And what was that just now? 'Oh no you don't'? And you were moving pretty quick."

"I… I uh…" She was struggling to come up with an excuse. "…Alright, fine. You got me," she confessed.

"Thought so. Now, who are you what do you want with me?" She didn't seem threatening, but he wanted to be sure. The girl cocked her head slightly.

"Really?" She sounded surprised. "Man, I knew my disguise was good, but not THAT good." She grinned as she spoke, apparently content with teasing her identity.

"Disguise?" He blinked in confusion. It looked like a perfectly normal outfit to him… The only things peculiar were the sunglasses covering her eyes, the pink hair streaks, and her…

…Pale skin…

He quickly put it all together.

"Wait… Ji-mmph!" Before he could finish, she slapped a hand over his mouth. She put a finger to her lips.

"…It's 'Jess', got it?" He nodded, eyes now wide as he was overcome with a nervous feeling. He hadn't actually expected to run into her, and now he was at a loss for what to do. As she took her hand off his mouth, he groaned.

"Dude, I'm so BLIND!" while that disguise would fool most people, he should have seen the signs. Hell, he probably could have sniffed her out if he had tapped into his animalistic nature.

"Well it wouldn't be a very good disguise if you could tell who I was that easily, would it?" she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I know, I just…" He sighed, trailing off. "So… Why were you following me?" Now he was extra curious. What did she want with him now?

"Just wanted to talk. Can't a friend say hi?" She smiled innocently. Beast Boy felt could feel butterflies in his stomach; she actually wanted to talk to him?

"…Wait, just how long were you behind me anyways?" He suddenly asked.

"I didn't follow you all the way to the mall if that's what you're asking. I just happened to be in the area and saw you and Starfire… Which begs the question, why are YOU here?" The way she asked sort of sounded like she was accusing him of something. Almost like she was…

"Me? I, uh…" He glanced around, noticing people starting to stare at the two of them. "Er…You wanna find somewhere else to talk? We're sort of in the way." He had to admit, he was feeling pretty nervous about talking with her. All those thoughts he had been having were slowly creeping back into his head, and he didn't want to say something he'd regret.

"Sure, why don't we sit over there?" She pointed to a small group of chairs and sofas nearby. He nodded, and the two made their way over to a pair of chairs facing each other.

"Right, anyways..." Beast Boy began as he sat down. "You were wondering what I was doing here?"

"You didn't seem to be enjoying yourself," Jinx pointed out as she leaned casually against her chair. "Plus you don't seem like the mall type."

"Yeah, not much of a mallrat," he joked. Jinx rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the pun. "But seriously… Well it's a bit complicated. See, last night Starfire wanted to cook."Jinx pretended to gag; Starfire's culinary endeavors were known to pretty much every Titan. Beast Boy simply laughed. "Exactly. So the rest of us told a white lie and said we'd already eaten… We ended up ordering pizza a few hours later."

"And I thought I was the criminal,"

"Yeah, I kinda felt bad… Starfire really likes trying to cook," he put emphasis on the word "try". "And maybe she's making really good dishes from her planet, I don't know. Point is I wanted to make it up to her since she looked kinda sad about it."

"And so you agreed to join her here?"

"Yep. I knew it wasn't going to be that much fun, but she enjoys the company." He shrugged. "Plus it gives me another reason to get out."

"Well that's very sweet of you. Looks like you may be here awhile though."

"No kidding…" He laughed somewhat nervously.

Neither of them spoke for a moment as they simply looked at each other.

_Even in that disguise she's still so pretty…_ Beast Boy was frantically trying to think of something to say. Should he just spring for it and ask her out? Did he even want to ask her out? What if she said no? Would she think he had just been treating her nice so he could hit on her? He imagined she didn't have many other people to talk with, and he didn't want to ruin what friendship they had going here.

But what if she said yes? He actually had no clue how he would react. There was so much to consider…

"So…"

"Oh! Sorry, zoned out a bit, heh…" The Titan nervously looked away; he realized he had just been staring. Real smooth…

Jinx smiled as the changeling looked down, his ears drooping slightly. She found his nervousness adorable. But what was bugging him? He seemed on edge ever since she had approached him.

_Is it… Is it me?_ She didn't want to get her hopes up, but the idea that he actually found her attractive was becoming more and more possible.

Now it was her turn to be nervous; if that really was the case, what to do? She still wasn't sure if she was ready... But the idea of a date also excited her way more than any heist.

"Oh!" Beast Boy's voice snapped her back to reality. "I wanted to ask yesterday… If this doesn't sound too weird, where have you been staying? I assume you aren't with any of your old H.I.V.E friends, so…" There was concern in his voice, which she found somewhat flattering.

_Has he been worried about me?_ Of course, being Jinx, she decided to tease him a bit.

"Oh yeah, I've got a great set up… A nice big box to keep the rain out, and newspaper makes good bedding, and… Oh god, I'm kidding I'm kidding!" She unsuccessfully tried to hold in laughter as Beast Boy's face became wild and panicked. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "Seriously, I have an apartment!"

The Titan collapsed as he sighed in relief; she actually had him going there. His face turned bright red as Jinx's laughter grew.

"Very funny…"

"Y-your face… Oh god, I'm s-sorry but… Your face!" She had gone into a laughing fit.

Beast Boy felt rather stupid. He should have expected that from such a silly question.

_At least she's laughing… _He smiled slightly; it was such a pleasant sound.

"Heh… Heh heh…" For some reason he started to laugh too. Before long the two couldn't speak they were laughing so hard. Beast Boy wasn't sure what he found so funny; something about her laughter just seemed to put him in a good mood. After several more seconds, they started to calm down.

"Whoo… Oh boy…" Jinx took a few breaths. She hadn't laughed like that in a long time.

"That… That was kind of a dumb question wasn't it?" Beast Boy wiped a tear from his eye.

"No, I'm sorry I just... I don't know what came over me," she sighed. "I guess I'm just in a good mood."

"Why is that?"

"You, silly!" She flashed a big grin. "It's been awhile since I've been able to really talk with someone like this, and it feels… Well, really nice." She paused. "I mean I know we haven't said much but still, it means a lot to me," Beast Boy felt himself blush.

"Oh, well um… I'm happy to help!"

"And listen, I appreciate the concern. I really do. But I'm a big girl, BB," she said with a wink.

_Wait, did I just-_

_Did she just call me-_

Now it was her turn to blush. She realized how odd "BB" must have sounded coming from her.

"Er, sorry I…"

"Hey, don't worry about it… J," He grinned. She felt something flutter inside her as he said "J".

Another silence. An odd tension had suddenly filled the air; both teens' hearts were beating a bit faster than normal. It was becoming more and more apparent that the two of them had a mutual interest in each other, but neither one wanted to make a move.

_Should I do it? _Jinx was practically sweating. She couldn't muster up the courage; after her last boyfriend, she wanted to be sure he was actually interested.

_Do I ask? What if she says no? What if…_ Suddenly, something in Beast Boy sparked. _…You know what? Screw it._ For a moment, his "inner beast" took command; he felt his confidence surge, all doubt leaving his mind. No more thinking; time for action.

He took the plunge.

"Hey, Jinx?"

"Huh?" She didn't seem to mind him using her real name.

"Listen, if you're not too busy later…" Jinx felt her heart stop. Was this is?

_Oh god oh god oh god..._

"Would you maybe want to…"

_Yes yes YES!_

"Hello? Beast Boy?"

"AH!" all tension in the air immediately dissolved as the two teens cried out in surprise. A third voice had joined the conversation, and completely ruined the moment.

"Beast Boy? Are you there?"

Beast Boy practically deflated as he felt all the confidence he just built up leave his body. He slowly picked up his communicator.

"…Yeah, I'm here Starfire."

"Excellent! I am all finished here and it is lunch time. Shall we meet at the food court?" Jinx frowned, realizing this was likely the end of their little meeting.

"Uh… Yeah, I'll be there in a bit. Beast Boy out," he sighed as he put the communicator down. "Listen, I'm sorry but I… I gotta go. I promised her I'd stick around, you know?"

"No, no. I understand." She paused, as if expecting something. "But you were saying something?"

"Um…" He looked down. He no longer had the guts to ask; Starfire's interruption had really taken the wind out of his sails. "It was nothing," he almost sounded defeated. Jinx sighed, realizing he wasn't going to finish the question any time soon. "But, um… I'll see you around some time." He started to get up.

_Oh no you don't!_ Now her confidence swelled.

"Beast Boy," Jinx said sternly. "We both know what you were going to ask." The embarrassed Titan looked away; he didn't see Jinx pull out a pen and paper from her bag.

"I'm sorry, it was stupid and sudden and I don't know what I was-huh?" His rambling was cut off by the disguised girl flashing a piece of paper in front of his face. "What's this?" He took it from her; it appeared to be an… Address?

He froze, eyes widening as he realized what it meant.

"8 o'clock tonight sound good?" He looked back up at her, mouth slightly agape. Though she was simply smiling, he could practically feel her excitement. He gave a big, stupid grin.

"Sounds great! I'll see you then!"

_This is really happening!_

"Don't be late… BB," She winked once again before walking off, leaving a dumbstruck Beast Boy standing there.

Of course, the moment she stepped around the corner she dropped her façade.

"Oh my gosh, he asked me! Or well, he was about to but still! Ooooh!" She practically squealed. "I need to get home ASAP, it's such a mess! Oh, and I gotta get an outfit picked out, and… Oh, there's so much to do!" She was practically running for the exit at this point. For the moment, all her questions and doubts about dating Beast Boy were nowhere to be found; she was too excited to think about anything else... Not even Wally.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy had finally recovered enough to move, and was heading towards the food court. Like Jinx, he was trying to plan out what he had to do. He had to find out where this address was, for example. He also had to figure out how he could sneak out…

He couldn't stop smiling. He didn't know what was going to come of this, but that didn't matter right now. What was important was that he had a date.

And for once, Terra wasn't even remotely on his mind.

* * *

**Next time: Date night! Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Date Night

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay, life's been keeping me a bit busy. But the show must go on!**

* * *

It was roughly 2 PM by the time Beast Boy and Starfire returned from the mall. Even though they had only stayed for about 2 hours after meeting up again, it had felt like an eternity for the green Titan. He had constantly been checking the time, hoping that maybe by some miracle it was nearing 8 o'clock. He could barely stand still while Starfire shopped; he had even been tempted to just turn into a fly and buzz around to keep himself busy. However, he chose to stay put and keep Starfire company. He wasn't happy about leaving Jinx, but he had promised Starfire he would stay, and he intended to keep that promise.

Of course, he found it very difficult to contain his excitement when it was finally time to go.

"Would you mind getting the door, Beast Boy? My hands are a little full," Starfire requested as the pair approached the tower.

"A little?" Beast Boy joked as he stared at the towering pile of bags his teammate was carrying. Any normal person would likely have been crushed under their weight. "I'd hate to see you on Black Friday."

"Ah yes… I believe I am forbidden from entering the mall on that day after what happened last year,"

Beast Boy mentally sweatdropped as he opened the door, trying to imagine the horrors that must have been unleashed on that day.

"Friends, we have returned!" Starfire exclaimed as they entered the kitchen, where the rest of the team was gathered. Cyborg and Robin seemed to be finishing up lunch, while Raven was currently brewing a cup of tea.

"Hey, you're back early!" Cyborg greeted the pair. "And I see you didn't bring back half the place this time."

"Yes, I have been learning to control my… How did all you put it? 'Impulse buying' when I go out," The Tamaranian explained from beneath her pile. Robin, ever the gentleman, was already walking over to give her a hand.

"How about you, B? You manage to survive?"

"Hm? Uh, yeah." Beast Boy seemed a bit distracted. "Didn't actually get anything myself, though." He had originally planned on looking at some new games while he was out, but certain events had made him forget all about it. He yawned. "Sorry, but I'm a bit tired from all the running around. Might go take a nap or something." He quickly made his way out of the kitchen, eager to get to his room. In truth, he wasn't tired at all; he just wanted be alone while he planned for tonight. He didn't want anyone getting suspicious, after all.

"I shall also go to my room. I must unpack all my new things!" Starfire was very excited about exploring her pile of purchased goods. She tended to buy things on a whim; half the fun was figuring out what everything was.

"See you in a few hours then," Robin smirked, knowing how long she would be marveling at her treasure trove. She floated off after Beast Boy, heading for her own room.

"We should be thankful she only goes once every month or two; we'd run out of room otherwise," Cyborg joked.

"At least the piles are shrinking. It's her way of learning about our culture… I guess." Robin paused. "Hey, did Beast Boy seem, well, off to you at all?"

"Well yeah, but you heard him. He's just a bit tired. Shopping with Starfire can take a lot out of you man, you know that," Cyborg reminded him.

"Come on, we both know that was a fake yawn." Robin had known his teammates long enough to know when they tried to pull stunts like that.

"Yeah yeah I know." Cyborg hadn't been fooled either. "Might just be you-know-who again."

"But you just got him-

"Hey man, you can't expect him to just drop it all together like that."

"I know, I know, but…" Robin was still concerned about Beast Boy. While he legitimately wanted to make sure his teammate was okay, he also wanted to make sure he would be able to properly do his job. It had been fairly quiet for the past several days, but something could come up at any time, and he needed his team ready to go at any time.

Especially with those robberies that had been happening lately. Robin just knew they were connected, even with the limited information he had.

"Don't worry, man. He'll be fine. And if he really starts acting up again, I'll just have another talk with him. Or hell, maybe you could do something Raven."

Raven had been silent the entire time, focused solely on her tea. At the mention of her name, she gave a small, disinterested sound.

"Yeah that's what I assumed." The robotic titan turned back to his leader. "Either way, we got other stuff to worry about. You made any progress on those break-ins?"

"Not much, unfortunately. A lot of the incidents don't seem to have witness reports, and the ones that do aren't very descriptive. They all seem to describe a single person, but nobody can identify anything about them." Cyborg nodded.

"And that's why you think they're connected?"

"They've all occurred in relatively close proximity to each other. Problem is whoever's behind them seems skilled enough to do it without getting anyone to alert us until well after they've left the scene. They're also leaving no evidence to follow."

"Don't suppose you got any plans?"

"The best we can do for now is start patrolling the city a bit more often, or wait for another report and respond as soon as we can. They've struck 6 times in the past month, I'm sure they'll show up soon." He picked up his dishes, throwing them in the dishwasher. "But I'm going to keep investigating from here, see if I can get any more leads."

"Sounds good to me. Just let me know if anything else comes up." Cyborg also put his dishes away. He wanted to help Robin out, but investigation was something their leader was best at alone. Besides, he could take the time to fix up the T-car a bit.

The two male titans left the room shortly after, leaving Raven alone with her tea. She wasn't terribly concerned with their conversation about the robberies; if Robin figured anything out, which he inevitably would, they'd know about it. At the moment, she was much more curious about Beast Boy; unlike the others, she was almost certain he hadn't been acting a bit odd because of Terra. Normally when Terra was on his mind, she would feel generally negative emotions from him. Things like frustration, sadness, and a lot of guilt and regret, likely due to him blaming himself for what happened to her. However, the emotions he had been emanating just moments ago were almost the complete opposite; there was a feeling of excitement and happiness, and a bit of nervousness.

Now, she wasn't clueless; she had sensed these sorts of emotions from her own teammates many times, mainly from Robin and Starfire. She knew what it meant.

"Finally found someone else…"

If that was the case, Raven wasn't sure what to think; on one hand, she was happy for him. He could finally be letting Terra go. On the other hand, she was worried. Losing Terra had really done a number on him, and she wasn't sure if this possible affection for whoever was just his mind's way of coping with that loss. Of course, she was also curious who it was. Was it just some random girl he ran into at the mall? Another Titan?

'_Maybe it's me.'_

She smirked at the thought. There was certainly a time when the two of them may have harbored some feelings for each other, but that had long since passed.

The relationship between Raven and Beast Boy had been a bit of a roller coaster; she had hated the jokester at first. He was always bugging her, always trying to make her laugh with his "jokes", never leaving her alone. On the other hand, he couldn't stand her pessimistic, brooding personality. They were complete opposites, and it made getting along tough. Of course, along the way they had had their moments, such as the incident with the mirror and the whole Malchior fiasco.

When Terra came into the picture things got even more complicated; again, there may have been some traces of feelings between the two, and Terra obviously threw that for a loop. Beast Boy instantly falling for her and Raven distrusting her caused even more problems between the two. They would argue about her place on the team, and about Beast Boy's feelings for her. And yes, for a time Raven may have been somewhat… Jealous of the two. Of course, after her betrayal and the events that followed that quickly went away.

However, it wasn't until "The Beast" incident that the two of them really began to connect. The two genuinely cared for each other… Just not, they realized, romantically. After that, the two began to grow closer as friends. In fact, one could argue that they had sort of formed a big sister-little brother relationship. Sure Beast Boy would still get on her nerves, as most little brothers do, but it was to be expected; they still were opposites after all. But the two found themselves spending more time with each other. Beast Boy would often come to Raven if he needed to talk about something personal, knowing she would be able to help in a mature manner. Of course, he had been pretty adamant about keeping Terra bottled up, and she would never force him to talk about it. He would even meditate with her every now and then, though he had trouble sitting still. Stranger still was the time Raven attempted to play some videogames with him, though after expressing how bad a loser she was by blowing the TV through the wall, they decided it best if she stayed away.

So no, she didn't actually think it was her. But she also couldn't think of anyone else that he may have had feelings for; sure he would occasionally try to impress girls on missions or out in the city, but that was never too serious. This seemed a bit more personal; he had done more than just flirt. She wanted to ask him about it, but she knew better than to barge in on her friend's private life. If he wanted to talk about it, he'd probably come to her.

Dismissing the thoughts, she retreated to her own room with her tea.

* * *

Beast Boy sat down at his desk, booting up his computer. He glanced at the clock, frowning.

"2:15? Seriously?" He groaned, wondering how he was going to pass the time. "Alright, first things first…" He opened up a website to get directions, typing in the address Jinx gave him. To his surprise, the location was relatively close to the tower, being no more than a 15 or 20 minute walk. Planning out a route, he printed out directions. Sure he could just fly there, but he didn't want to risk ruining whatever outfit he was going to pick out. Speaking of which…

Beast Boy tucked the paper into his desk and went to his dresser. He wasn't planning on wearing a suit or anything, but he wanted to at least look nice, and his uniform wasn't the sort of thing you brought to a date. He pulled out some tan-colored pants and a dark blue collared shirt, which he set aside. He'd have to clean himself up, but he'd take care of that closer to 8. He glanced at his clock again. Only 5 minutes had passed; he still had over 5 hours to wait.

"Man…" He sighed, lying down on his bed. He knew watching the clock wasn't going to speed time up, but the wait was killing him. He could try to nap through it, but he was way too anxious to sleep. He had been thinking about tonight all day, and he still had questions. What were they even going to do? Should he eat before or would they just get a late dinner? Would he be able to sneak out? What if someone attacked while he was out and the team needed him?

He stood up again, now pacing restlessly. He was obviously nervous; he had no idea where tonight was going to lead. He hadn't had a real romantic interest in anyone besides Terra, and even then the two of them never did anything too serious.

So once again the question came up: Did he actually like Jinx like that? He hadn't had a lot of time to really figure things out, but he was becoming more and more convinced that yes, he did. Either way, tonight would most likely answer that question once and for all.

"Wonder how she's doing," Beast Boy muttered to himself, walking to his shelf of comics. He may as well try to read some to pass the time.

* * *

Jinx glanced nervously at her clock. It was 7:20, 40 minutes before he got here.

She checked herself in the mirror again, making sure everything looked okay. Unlike Beast Boy, she hadn't picked out a new outfit; she felt her normal attire looked good enough for the night. That being said, she had vigorously washed and ironed it, and applied her makeup more carefully than normal.

"Looking good, girl," she said to her reflection, smiling. Satisfied with her appearance, she looked back at her room. It was noticeably cleaner than before, something she had been working on for several hours today. Of course, it still was a cheap apartment, so there was only so much she could do.

The wait had been difficult, to say the least. She managed to pass some time with some TV and a few videogames, but she had been thinking about tonight the entire time. After effectively being alone for over a month, to suddenly be asked out had turned her life on its head. If this went well, there's no telling what might happen. Hell, she could even rejoin the Titans…

"Woah, woah. One step at a time Jinx," she told herself. "Let's just get through tonight."

She moved to her couch and flipped on the TV. Nothing to do now but wait…

* * *

"Let's see… Wallet? Check. Communicator? Check. Directions? Check. Phone? Check…"

Beast Boy must have gone through his pockets 3 times now, making sure he had everything. He was standing nervously in front of his bathroom mirror, showered, groomed, and ready for action. He flashed his teeth, making sure nothing was stuck in the gaps. He breathed into his hand, smelling to make sure his breath was fine.

"Alright, I think that's everything."

It was 7:30, and Beast Boy was ready to go. The day had gone by painfully slow, but he had managed to keep himself busy with comics, games, and training. He had ran into his teammates several times, but made sure to act natural. As far as he could tell, nobody suspected anything. But now it was time for the hard part.

He opened his door slowly, and peeked out into the hall. Nobody was around. Tapping into some of his more feral instincts, he moved swiftly and silently down the hall, using his heightened hearing to listen for any of the other Titans as he moved. He was in luck; everyone seemed to be preoccupied with other activities at the moment, and he ran into no trouble as he entered the kitchen. With a final scan of the room, he slipped out the door into the summer night.

"I still got it," Beast Boy said to himself as he walked down the path to the city. He pulled out his directions, his eyesight allowing him to read even in the low light. "So we make a left at the light, and go down 3 blocks…"

* * *

The knocking of the door made Jinx nearly jump out of her seat. She scrambled for the remote, flipping off the TV.

"He's early!" She exclaimed to nobody, noticing the clock read 7:50. At least, she assumed it was him. She frantically dashed to the mirror one last time, wanting to make sure nothing was out of place. Another knock. "J-just a minute!" Apparently happy with her appearance, she headed for the door. "Oh my god oh my god…"

On the other side, Beast Boy was grinning. She was running about, just as he thought she might. He could hear her muttering nervously to herself, and he found it adorable.

Of course, his heart was also pounding as he fidgeted slightly. The door clicked and slowly opened to reveal his date, a slightly annoyed look her face.

"I said 8," was all she said.

"You said 'don't be late'. Never said anything about being early. Besides, you sound cute moving around all nervous like that." Jinx's face turned bright red as she realized he had heard all that.

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically, folding her arms. However, she quickly smiled. "I like the look by the way." His hair was much neater than usual, and his green skin had a certain sheen to it; he had clearly just washed up. His attire was also a bit higher end than usual.

"Oh, this? Yeah, I figured a purple jumpsuit wasn't exactly appropriate."

"Well, not all uniforms can be this fashionable," she proudly pointed at her own outfit.

"Hey, I'm glad you did. I always thought you looked great in that." The hexer smiled even more, her cheeks turning red again. How long had he been attracted to her…?

"Oh! What am I doing? Come in, come in!" She finally stepped aside, inviting the superhero inside. He stepped in, looking around.

"It's… Cozy." The apartment looked cheap and cramped, which Beast Boy wasn't super thrilled to see. Had Jinx really been living like this for more than a month?

"Yeah it sucks, I know," Jinx assured him, shutting the door. "But I didn't have much choice. Landlord rents cheap and doesn't care where the money comes from." Beast Boy frowned; now he REALLY wanted to help her out. Of course, he knew Jinx was tough enough to handle it, but he still felt bad. She didn't deserve this.

"So, did you have anything planned for tonight or…?" He decided to avoid the subject and asked about the date.

"Well, I haven't eaten yet." She had been hungry for a few hours, but she decided to wait.

"Same, figured we might get something. You want to eat here? Not sure how well the two of us would do entering a restaurant together." He didn't need any unwanted attention.

"Well unless you feel like ramen, I would suggest going out," Jinx joked. "I know a place nearby. Nice and low-key, and they don't ask questions."

"Sounds good to me!" the "don't ask questions" part made the place sound seedy, but he figured if Jinx knew about it there wouldn't be much trouble. Besides, he kind of liked the risk.

The couple left the room, eager to get the night started.

* * *

"…And we were cleaning sauce off the ceiling all day!" Beast Boy acted out scrubbing above him as he finished his story. Jinx was laughing heartily, enjoying hearing about another one of the Titans' kitchen fiascos. "Needless to say, we never tried cooking that dish again."

Beast Boy and Jinx had been walking for about 10 minutes. During that time they had been catching up, something they hadn't had a chance to do earlier. Beast Boy was recounting various misadventures that had occurred in the last month while Jinx would stories of the various things she came across in town while incognito.

"Remind me never to buy from that brand," Jinx said as her laughter slowed. "But wow, it sounds like things haven't gotten any less crazy over there."

"Dude, it's never a boring day the tower." Beast Boy seemed proud of that fact.

"I'll say… Oh, we're here!"

The pair approached a small, rickety building with a sign that read "Mick's Eats" above the door. "Looks pretty empty, so we should be fine for seats."

"Looks a bit… Sketchy.

"Hey, where else is someone like me going to go?" Jinx elbowed him slightly. "We'll be fine, don't stare at anyone too much."

They entered the restaurant. Sure enough, there were only a few people inside, some at the bar and some at tables. None of them looked like trusting sorts. A few heads turned as the newcomers stepped inside, but they quickly looked away after a few seconds, apparently uninterested.

"Welcome to Mick's," they were greeted by a large, grizzled man who spoke with a gruff voice. He noticed Jinx. "Hey, good to see you again kid."

"Hey Joe. 2, please. Back room if that's alright."

"Sure thing. Right this way." It was apparent that Jinx was a regular trio made their way into a smaller room, which was completely devoid of other people. Joe, the host, set two menus down at a small table, leaving the two alone.

"Well this isn't so bad." Beast Boy commented, looking around. There weren't many decorations in the room, but he didn't really mind. He was just happy to be alone.

"Yeah, it's not too busy this time of night." Jinx sat down, grabbing a menu. "So, any idea what you want?"

"Well, let's see… Oh, they got veggie burgers?"

"What? Yeah, but why…" She suddenly remembered. "Oh that's right, you're a vegetarian."Beast Boy nodded.

"I know it's weird, but-

"What? No it's not." Jinx was surprised at his statement. "Why would it be?"

"…Well, I normally get asked 'why' when it gets brought up. And I a lot of crap about it from Cyborg."

"Well that sounds immature," Jinx sounded a bit angry. Beast Boy was rather surprised at her attitude; he was expecting her to laugh about it. "Though, I'm curious as to why you don't eat meat."

"Well see, it's a lot harder to eat a normal burger after you've turned into a cow a few times."

"…Oh wow, that does sound weird." Jinx shuddered a bit. "Almost sounds like cannibalism."

"That's how I feel about it!" Beast Boy seemed quite happy that she understood his thoughts on the matter. "Of course, I don't mind if other people are doing it, but still."

"Well, you won't hear anything from me." Jinx assured him. There was a pause. "So, any big crimes lately?"

"Eh, not really. You know how it is. Ever since we all stopped the Brotherhood of Evil, there's been a lot less to deal with. A few escapes and some new villains, but no big evil plots." He paused. "Actually, we had a run in with some of your old teammates the other week."

"Ugh, please don't remind me I worked with them." Jinx rubbed her forehead. "I assume Gizmo's in charge now?"

"Yep. I don't know how you managed to live with that brat."

"I still don't think I know," Jinx practically groaned. "I swear I was going to tear my hair out if I had to put up with him any longer." It was clear she didn't miss her time with the H.I.V.E Five, something Beast Boy was happy to hear.

"Well, that's in the past now. You're a Titan now, remember?"

Jinx looked away, touched by these words. He was still treating her like she had never left, like she was still a teammate. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Evening." Before she could speak, they were interrupted by the server. "How are you kids doing tonight?"

"Fine, thanks. And you?"

"Hey, surviving you know?" Their server was a middle aged woman with long brown hair. "You two ready to order?"

"I think so." Jinx nodded.

"Yeah, I'll have a veggie burger with some water please." Beast Boy politely requested.

"I'll have the same." Beast Boy looked at her with surprise as she said this.

"2 green patties with waters. Anything else?"

"Nope, I think we're all set," Jinx answered before Beast Boy could speak.

"Alright, I'll be back with your drinks." After writing the orders down, the waitress left. Beast Boy waited until she was gone before turning back to his date.

"What are you doing?" He asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Your order. I didn't think you-

"I'm not, no. But I figured I could be a bit respectful, you know?"

"But I said I didn't mind…"

"I know you did. But still, it seems rude to me you know? Besides, I've never had a veggie burger, I'm curious." She shrugged.

"…Wow, um… Thanks." He couldn't remember the last time someone did that for him. "That's really cool of you."

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment, both smiling.

"Beast Boy?"

"Hm?"

"I've been meaning to ask something… Don't take this the wrong way."

"Shoot."

"I've just been wondering… Why have you been treating me so nice? Just now, you said I'm still a Titan… You know I'm not."

"Hey, you never officially quit."

"Beast Boy, I'm serious. It's not like you and I knew each other THAT well. You had no reason to trust me when we found each other yesterday, and yet here we are."

The two were silent as the waitress suddenly walked in, giving them their waters. Once she left, Beast Boy sighed.

"Well… A while ago, I turned my back on someone close to me…" He paused, clearly a bit uncomfortable talking about this. "I… I pushed her away into the arms of the enemy. Soon enough I was fighting her." Jinx realized who he was talking about. "…Ultimately, it cost her her life…" He paused again, for a much longer time. "And it felt like my fault, you know? After that, I promised myself I'd never turn my back on a friend again. I… I don't want to lose anyone else like that." He looked like he was about to cry.

"Oh, Beast Boy…" Jinx found herself reaching a hand out and putting it over his. He seemed comforted by it. "You can't blame yourself for that. That was all Slade and you know it."

"I just… I feel like if I hadn't yelled at her, maybe she'd…" He trailed off, squeezing her hand a bit. "But that's not all of it. I guess… I guess I didn't see that until about now." He looked at her. "I… I care about you Jinx. Like, REALLY care about you. I guess I sorta have for awhile, even if I didn't know." He was finally figuring out how he felt about her.

"Yeah… I'm starting to think the same about you." Jinx was having similar thoughts. "Like, I always thought you were a good friend, but now…" Whenever she visited the tower, he was always the first to hang out with her. He made her feel welcome, like she actually belonged there… And it was clear from his attitude tonight that he genuinely felt that she did.

The two said nothing for awhile; Jinx simply held his hand as the two gazed longingly into the other's eyes, finally having accepted their feelings for each other. What started as a friendly, somewhat awkward night out was turning into the beginning of something much more serious.

The rest of the dinner went well after the couple's revelations. The food came shortly after, Jinx finding herself enjoying her meal much more than she thought she would.

"I should eat this stuff more often." She was clearly impressed with the burger.

"Well I know all sorts of vegetarian recipes… You know, if you ever want to try some." Beast Boy blushed as he realized he was already implying more dates.

"I'll think about it." She simply winked.

The two continued to laugh and share stories of their past adventures. Internally they were much more relaxed, both being quite relieved to realize that they had truly developed feelings for each other. No more what-ifs, no more wondering. They now both knew were this was going, and they liked it.

For Jinx, she had finally found someone who truly believed in her, someone who wasn't going to turn his back on her and leave her behind. Sure he could be a bit immature, but that just made him that much cuter in her eyes. He was funny, energetic, and extremely caring. She was admittedly reluctant about the idea of another full-blown relationship, but she wasn't about to say no to him either.

For Beast Boy, he had found a girl who he felt could genuinely understand and connect with him. She didn't seem to find any of his odd traits off-putting; his green skin didn't seem to bug her, she was surprisingly supportive of his vegetarian habits… It said a lot about her character to him. Plus, he loved her independence; when the bill came, she refused to let him pay for her half. She was tough, but sweet, and he loved it. Most of all, she seemed to really care about him.

"Shall we depart?" Jinx rose.

"Sure, where we headed?"

"Home. It's only what, 9:15? I've got plenty of movies if you want to watch one." She obviously didn't want the date to end just yet.

"Sounds like a plan!" Beast Boy got up as well, and the two headed out.

* * *

The couple approached the apartment, now holding hands. They both could feel a warm, fuzzy feeling inside as they walked, each enjoying the feeling of the other in their palms.

After another epic battle with the door, the duo entered the apartment, sitting down on the couch.

"So… Got any preferences? Jinx signaled to her movie stack.

"Whatever you think is good," Beast Boy replied. Rolling her eyes, Jinx got up and picked out a film. It was some romantic comedy, a genre she felt fitting for the occasion. Of course, she wondered if they would be paying much attention to it.

She turned off the lights and sat down next to Beast Boy as the movie started.

"Hey, I think I've seen this before. It's pretty good." Beast Boy pointed out.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites."

The two remained fairly silent as the movie played, the TV's light flickering against them in the dark room.

Jinx stiffened as she suddenly felt something behind her; Beast Boy had put his arm around her.

"Oh!" Beast Boy withdrew his arm as she cried out a bit. Had he gone too far? It was only the first date…

"Sorry, sorry, I got a little ahead of-

"No… No it's fine. Put it back." Jinx smiled softly, inching closer. She was a bit nervous about it all, but she figured there was no harm in a little cuddling.

Beast Boy smiled, returning his arm as he pulled her even closer. She sighed happily, resting her head against his shoulder. She felt, for lack of a better word, secure nestled against him. The two remained like this for the entire movie, comfortable nestled against the other. They said next to nothing, only occasionally looking at each other with a warm smile. Occasionally Jinx would nuzzle Beast Boy a little, and once or twice he made her leap up in surprise when he poked her side, much to his amusement. Neither of them tried to make any serious moves on the other, not wanting to ruin the moment by rushing things.

So when the film ended, the two found it hard to let go.

"Jinx… I really should get going." His tone suggested he didn't really want to leave.

"Aw, do you have to?" Jinx looked at him with puppy eyes.

"Oh, don't do that…" He looked away, unable to bear the adorableness. "If they realize I'm out…"

"I know, I know," Jinx sighed as they slowly separated. The both rose and headed for the door. "So… Want to do this again some time?"

"Do you really need me to answer that?" They both laughed.

"Just asking. You got a phone?"

"Yeah, we all keep personal phones separate from our communicators."

"Give me your number and I'll text you mine." She hadn't been sure about giving it out earlier, in case he had used his communicator to call her or something. She figured the other Titans could track her if he did that.

The two exchanged digits before Beast Boy finally opened the door.

"I had a great time," he said as he turned back to her. "Like… Seriously, this is the best night I've had in months."

"Yeah, same here…" The two slowly moved towards each other. "I'm really glad I ran into you again. After what happened with Wally, I just…" She sighed. "I've been so alone."

"Well you don't have to be anymore." He put his arms on hers, just below the shoulders. "You're a real special girl, Jinx, and he's an idiot for not seeing that."

"Oooh…" She embraced him, squeezing him tight as she tried to contain her joy.

"Jinx… Air…"

"Oh! Sorry!" She eased up, but they continued to hold each other for a few moments more.

"Jinx."

"I know, you have to get back." She sighed as she let him go. They stared at each other, still inches apart.

"So… Are we, like, official now?" Beast Boy asked, rubbing the back of his head. It was a bit of rhetorical question at this point.

"I don't know, are we?" Jinx smirked, deciding to tease him a bit.

"Well, if we want to make it official…" Jinx could tell what he was getting at. She felt a bit uneasy about it, but at the same time she couldn't resist beating him to it.

"How's this?" Not caring if it was too soon, she suddenly grabbed his cheeks, shut her eyes, and pulled him into a kiss. He made a muffled, surprised sound, but he obviously didn't resist. It only lasted a few seconds, but that didn't change how wonderful it felt for either of them.

"…Wow…" Beast Boy was a bit stunned at her sudden move as they separated. He had a dazed, blissful look on his face.

"Consider that a yes… Boyfriend." She winked. Hearing her say 'boyfriend' made him light up like a Christmas tree. "Now get out of here before I change my mind and lock you in."

The lovestruck Titan finally left the room, and Jinx locked the door behind him. She leaned against the door, breathing a huge, happy sigh as she put a hand to her chest. She hadn't felt this good in ages. Beast Boy was just the kind of person she needed in her life right now.

"What I wouldn't give to see Wally's face when he finds out." She grinned devilishly, imagining him begging for her to come back. Of course, she had no intention of going back. However, thinking of Wally raised a good point; Beast Boy was going to have to tell his team about the two of them at some point.

That was going to be quite the conversation…

* * *

Beast Boy couldn't keep himself from smiling as wide as possible. That kiss had been pure ecstasy for him.

"She's so cool!" He exclaimed to nobody. The night had been near-perfect for him. He had finally found someone else…

His phone buzzed. Curious, he took it out. It was a text from Jinx.

"Miss you already :)"

He felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly texted back.

"Miss you more!"

As he walked back, the two continued to argue about who missed who the most. They ultimately decided to call it even as the tower came into view. But as he looked at it, reality hit Beast Boy.

"How am I going to break this to them?" He asked himself. He wouldn't be able to hide it for long; hell, they may have already noticed he was gone. He checked the time, seeing it was about 11:30 or so; they were all likely asleep. "Maybe I'll tell them tomorrow… I'll have to talk with Jinx about it first."

He wasn't sure how they'd take it. They didn't exactly know she had been living like a criminal all this time, but they were certainly aware she had unofficially quit the team. He could only hope they'd understand… Maybe they'd even let her come live there!

His head spun at the idea of living with Jinx. He could get used to that…

He shook his head rapidly. He didn't want to spoil his mood, so he resolved to think about it more tomorrow. He finally approached the tower, using his communicator to get inside without tripping any security. He silently made his way back to his room, thankfully not encountering anyone on the way.

The next few days were going to be very interesting…

* * *

**Phew! You finally made it to the end. This was a lot longer than usual, mostly because I didn't want to cut the date scene short, but the rest of the chapter didn't feel like it could stand on its own. I'll be sure to keep the length down a bit for later installments. The next chapter may also take a little while, as work and other things are keeping me busy. But I hope you enjoyed!**


	6. Suspect

**It's that time again! **

* * *

Beast Boy yawned as he slowly opened his eyes. Rolling over, he looked at his clock.

"Crap, slept in…" he muttered groggily. It was already 10. Yawning again, he forced himself out of bed and walked over to his bathroom, turning on the shower. He took a deep breath as he stepped into the hot water, finding it comforting. He stood there for a moment, letting himself wake up a bit more.

It wasn't terribly surprising that he had gotten up so late; he hadn't actually fallen asleep until about 1 AM; he had just been too excited about the prospect of having a girlfriend. As he washed, he found himself smiling as he recalled last night. It may not have been anything too serious, but he couldn't have asked for much more from a first date.

"Wonder what she's up to today," he said to himself as he turned off the water and began drying off. Granted, he wasn't planning on seeing her today for a few reasons. For one, he didn't want to rush things or seem clingy. But more importantly, he didn't want his team catching on. He had already lucked out last night, and he didn't want to take more chances. Of course, one way or another they were going to find out eventually.

The green Titan sighed as he began to get dressed. He'd prefer to break the news to them himself as opposed to them finding out and confronting him, but he'd have to make sure Jinx was fine with it first. He'd have to call her later.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Yo B, you alive in there?" It was Cyborg.

"I sure hope so," Beast Boy replied as he opened the door. "Otherwise we've got a serious problem."

"Very funny. Seriously though, you've been locked up in there since, like, dinnertime last night."

"Really?" He pretended to not realize. "Guess Raven's been rubbing off on me."

"Great, next I'm gonna find you wearing makeup and writing poetry," Cyborg joked. "But anyways, Robin wants us all in the ops room. Think he's finally got a lead on those robberies we were talking about a little while back."

"Robberies?"

"Yeah, remember? A bunch of places around here got hit over the last month or so. Mostly small shops with valuables. Antiques, jewelry, that sorta stuff.

'_Jewelry…?'_

Beast Boy had to hide his panic. He prayed this wasn't what he thought it was. The timeframe matched up, but…

"Right, I remember now." Beast Boy managed to keep a straight face; he was good at keeping stuff inside. "Well let's not keep him waiting." Shutting the door behind him, the pair headed for the ops room.

Everyone else was already present when Beast Boy and Cyborg entered the ops room. Robin was standing in front of the giant monitor in the room, while Starfire and Raven were sitting on the sofas.

* * *

"Well look who finally decided to join us," Raven's usual snark was the first thing that greeted the pair.

"Yeah sorry, I slept in a bit late." Beast Boy yawned again to indicate he was still somewhat tired; mornings were not his thing. He sat down with Cyborg, not wanting to say anything more. "So what's up?" The monitor turned on as if to respond to Beast Boy's question. An overhead view of Jump City was on screen as Robin began the briefing.

"As you are all aware, there has been an unusually high amount of robberies in the last several weeks." The map zoomed in a bit to show six red circles somewhat close together as Robin explained the scenario. "Six in total. You may recall that there was almost no information we could find at the crime scenes or from witness reports. Evidently, whoever committed these crimes managed to get away long before they were actually reported to anyone." He paused as names came over each of the circles. "The places hit were as follows: The Scribe, a store that sells old and rare books, Harrison's Heirlooms, an antique shop, Trade Routes, a shop full of goods from other cultures like statues, carvings, tapestries and such, The Palette, a small store that sells art pieces, and Diamond in the Rough and Gemini, a couple of jewelry stores."

Beast Boy tensed slightly as the two jewelry stores came up. He wasn't sure if one of those was the one he had stopped Jinx from robbing.

"How recent was the last one?" He suddenly asked, not wanting to sound too suspicious. "I keep forgetting which one was which."

"Getting to that. The Scribe was actually the most recent hit, being robbed about a week ago." Beast Boy was relieved to hear that; looks like his secret was safe. "Now as I said, we have had almost no clues. However, what few witness reports we have all seem to mention the same thing: A single perpetrator, but nothing beyond that. People can't seem to remember what happened. In fact, in some cases we aren't even entirely sure what was stolen."

"Right, but this is stuff we already know." Cyborg interrupted. "I'm guessing you called us all in here because you got a new lead?"

"Exactly. See, whatever problems the owner of the Scribe was having with their memory seemed to have cleared up slightly; I went down there last night and managed to discover what exactly had been stolen. Supposedly the only thing taken was an old book on sorcery that originated somewhere in Europe." He made a fist with one of his hands and pounded it down into his other. "That's when I finally began to see it. Whoever is behind these attacks is likely experienced in magic in some way. That's how they've managed to get away with no evidence, and it explains the unusual memory issues of any witnesses."

"Hmph. So what does that tell us?" Raven seemed a bit unimpressed at this new find.

"On its own, not much. We have more than a few enemies well versed in magic, and there are always new villains appearing. However…" The map of the city minimized into the corner of the screen as a sort of database of every known supervillain the Titans had dealt with appeared. "After checking the status of every magic-related foe we have dealt with and matching it up to the timing of the break-ins..." The screen began to cycle through several familiar faces, with their current status and location shown underneath. Just about every potential suspect was listed as detained in prisons, banished to other dimensions, or in a few rare cases destroyed. Finally, it stopped on a particular face. " This was the best match I could find."

Beast Boy nearly fainted as he felt the color leave his face.

"Hold on," Cyborg began to speak up.

"Yes, is she not…" Starfire also spoke.

"Hmph." Raven didn't seem to react.

A portrait of Jinx flickered on the giant screen.

"I know, I know. It surprised me too." Robin held a hand up to quiet his team down. "But remember what happened just a month ago." Beast Boy's hand balled into a fist as a picture of Kid Flash appeared next to Jinx.

'_That son of a…'_

"A little over a month ago, Jinx and Kid Flash had a… Falling out," Robin explained as professionally as possible. "I won't get into the details, but from what we understand, Jinx disappeared. She broke her communicator and fled from her base, and none of the Titans have seen her since.

"I remember that. From what he said she had been pretty pissed," Cyborg commented.

'_Yeah, because he was an asshole' _

Beast Boy was doing his best to hide his anger. He didn't notice Raven look at him for a moment.

"As far as we know, however, she's still somewhere in the city. And the timing of her leaving the team lines up almost perfectly with the robberies; they started less than a week after she left." The screen zoomed back out, flashing "suspects" at the top with Jinx's portrait underneath. "While I'm not going to rule out the possibility of someone else escaping prison or an unknown entity, at the moment she is, at the moment, our only suspect."

"What makes you so sure!?" Beast Boy suddenly blurted out, standing. "She's one of us now!"

"Beast Boy, please calm down," Robin said sternly. He had been afraid of this; ever since Terra, Beast Boy had been very defensive of his teammates. It was particularly apparent with Jinx when she first joined the team; while Robin and a lot of others had been cautious, wanting to make sure she didn't have ulterior motives , Beast Boy immediately began treating her like she had always been with the team. Though he didn't talk about it, the rest of the team understood why he acted that way. "We have every reason to suspect her and you know it. The timing of her leaving, the unnatural nature of these crimes like the apparent memory loss of the witnesses, and now we know that there is an interest in sorcery involved."

"But… But she's not a criminal anymore!" He cried. He knew getting so defensive was suspicious, but he didn't care right now. This sort of treatment was partially why Jinx was driven away from the team. "She never even studied magic! And since when could she make mess with people's memories?"

"None of us have any idea what she's fully capable of. Her hexes have shown to cause several effects." Robin was clearly getting impatient. "Look, she's been with us for what? Less than a year? How long have has she been a part of H.I.V.E? How long have we been fighting her?" The two glared at one another. "Remember who we're dealing with here, Beast Boy. It's Jinx, not Ter-

"Robin."

Everyone suddenly looked over at Starfire as she spoke, cutting Robin off before he could finish the name. She had a considerably more serious look than normal as she stared sternly at her boyfriend/leader. The two looked at each other for a moment as the room fell silent, yet an entire conversation seemed to take place between them. Finally Robin's look softened as he sighed. He looked back at Beast Boy, who had seemed to calm down and was now looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy, I shouldn't have gone-

"No, you're right." Beast Boy interrupted. "She's not." He didn't seem bothered by the fact that she had been brought up. "I don't want to believe Jinx went back to crime, but I guess it makes sense." There was another silence. Everyone understood that Beast Boy blamed himself for what happened to Terra, at least partially. Having it potentially happen to another teammate must have been hard for him. "So she's our primary suspect. What's our next move?"

Of course, it was all an act; Beast Boy didn't believe for one second that Jinx was guilty. But he realized that his team thought he was defending her so much because of his guilt about Terra, and he was going to make sure it stayed that way.

"Our first priority should be to reinvestigate the crime scenes." The tension from the argument quickly dissolved as Robin returned to briefing the team. "Now that we know magic's involved, we may be able to find some new clues. In addition, we need to search for Jinx. Even if she isn't involved, she's still MIA and needs to be found." He paused, thinking. "Starfire and Beast Boy, I want you searching for Jinx. You can cover more ground, and Beast Boy can track better than any of us. If either of you find anything, contact the rest of us right away. Cyborg, I want you with me re-examining the crime scenes. Raven, I also need you with us to check for any magic-related evidence. Everyone got it?" The rest of the team all nodded. "Good. Titans, go!"

With those two words, the five teens moved as they prepared to head into town. Starfire and Beast Boy headed straight for the exit as Robin, Cyborg, and Raven headed for the garage.

* * *

"Come on, come on…" Beast Boy paced as his phone rang. Once he was a good distance from the tower, the young hero had immediately pulled out his cell and called Jinx. After a moment, he heard the sounds of the phone being answered.

"…Beast Boy? Is that you?" She sounded half-asleep. He must have woken her up.

"Yeah, it's me. Where are you right now?" He heard her yawn.

"Uh, home in bed… I was just dreaming about you." She didn't seem to hear the urgency in his voice.

"Please Jinx, not now." As much as he wanted to flirt back, he needed her to focus.

"…Is something wrong?" Now she sounded worried, realizing Beast Boy sounded somewhat stressed.

"Oh yeah. It's about the others."

"Oh no, did they find out? Wait, you didn't tell them did you?"

"What? No, of course not. And they didn't find out, but…" He trailed off, unsure of how to put it.

"But what? What's going on?" Her voice was becoming more frantic as she woke up more. Beast Boy took a breath.

"Alright, so we've been investigating some robberies lately. A bunch happened this past month, and we had almost no information about them until now." He paused, but heard nothing on the other line. "But just now Robin called us all in. He apparently had gotten a lead on what was being taken." Another pause; he knew she wasn't going to want to hear this. "Long story short, we have reason to believe magic was involved… And you're kind of the primary suspect."

He said nothing after that, wanting to let it sink in. He heard a long, deep sigh.

"Shit…" Jinx swore quietly. "Shit, shit, shit."

"Jinx, listen-

"I was so careful!"

"Jinx!"

"What!?" She shouted, clearly flustered.

"…Was it you then?" He couldn't believe he was asking, but from what she said it sounded like she may in fact be the one responsible. "I mean, what you just said." Another sigh was heard.

"That... That wasn't my first break-in you stopped, no," she admitted. "There were two other jewelry stores before that. Didn't think those would get your team's attention so soon, you know?"

"Hold on. Did you just say two?" Now Beast Boy was confused.

"Yeah, two other jewelry stores."

"Anything else?"

"What? No, of course not. Why are you asking?"

"Well, we're investigating six robberies, not two. There were a couple jewelry stores, but there was other stuff. A book store, an art seller, an antique store-

"Woah woah woah. I never did anything like that," Jinx quickly said, cutting him off. "Robbing places that often would be stupid! I'd easily get caught." She paused. "You… You believe me, right?"

"Huh? Of course I believe you!" He genuinely did. After all, what reason did she have to lie about some of the crimes but not others? "But then that means…"

"Someone else hit those other stores," she finished for him.

"Yeah." He nodded despite nobody else being there. "But I don't think the others are going to believe that."

"And even if they did, I doubt they'd be happy about me stealing those jewels."

"No kidding… But listen, you need to lay low for awhile."

"What do you think I've been doing? I'm not exactly innocent here."

"I know but still, they're gonna be looking for you… In fact, I'm supposed to be searching for you right now."

"Well, you know where to find me," she said as she laughed a bit. "But now I'm curious about these robberies… Why don't you come over and fill me in a bit more?"

"What? But the whole team's out right now. It seems a bit risky."

"But I want to heeeelp!" She whined, suddenly back to being in a playful mood. "I'm a Titan remember? I'm supposed to help catch the bad guys."

Hearing her call herself a Titan made Beast Boy all warm inside.

"Alright, I'll be right over." He said before hanging up. Now that he knew someone else was behind the robberies, he was even more determined to figure it out and clear Jinx's name.

'_Well, MOSTLY clear her name...'_

Explaining THAT was going to be tough, but he'd worry about it when it was time to tell them about him and Jinx. For now he had a crook to catch.

Morphing into a hawk, he quickly took off for Jinx's apartment.

* * *

Jinx wasted no time getting herself ready. She was in and out of the shower and dressed in minutes. She was admittedly a bit annoyed at being woken up, since she had been up so late thinking about Beast Boy, but realizing the urgency of the situation made her much more energetic. Someone was tarnishing her good name, and she was going to make them pay.

She was nervous of course; the Titans finally catching on to her activities was something she had been afraid of for awhile. She barely had the confidence to fight them when she was with H.I.V.E. Alone? Yeah right.

Granted, she knew they would have caught on eventually even if this other guy hadn't screwed things up. They were good at solving crimes like that. But she had planned to bide her time and slowly "acquire" enough valuables that by the time they had started searching for her, she'd be long gone. Of course, these sudden events completely ruined that plan. Now she was going to have to play hide-and-seek.

'_Thank god Beast Boy's on my side… I don't think I'd be able to hide from him for very long.'_

She jumped slightly when there was a knock at the door.

'_Man he's quick.'_

Checking to make sure it wasn't someone else, she opened the door.

"Hey handsome," she greeted with a smile. Beast Boy was back in his normal attire, which she was happy to see. As nice as he looked last night, she preferred his cute little purple uniform.

"Morning gorgeous." Beast Boy noted her damp hair; she had clearly just gotten out of the shower. Jinx locked the door as he stepped inside. As soon as she did, the couple embraced each other. "Sleep well?"

"Mmm… It was tough with you running around in my head all night." Jinx murmured, nuzzling him slightly.

"No wonder I was so tired this morning," he said with a laugh. He couldn't help but noticed she smelled of lavender, likely from her soap. It was rather intoxicating. The two held each other for a few more seconds.

"Alright, let's get to work," Jinx said as they separated. "So, just what exactly is going on?"

Beast Boy took the time to explain the whole situation. He gave her all the names of the stores, explained why they suspected magic was involved, and just why she was considered the major suspect at the moment.

"Diamond in the Rough and Gemini, eh? Yeah, those two were definitely me," she confessed. "I still have the stuff here… Maybe we can try to return it once this all gets taken care of?" She didn't seem terribly optimistic about the idea.

"Hey, don't worry about that right now," Beast Boy said reassuringly as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Once this mess gets cleared up, you and I can explain the situation together. Sound good?" Jinx simply nodded.

"Right, because I swear these other 4 places weren't me. I don't even think I could make people forget seeing me if I tried. And this weird magic book? I don't give a crap about that stuff, even if I do know magic. Give me a Gamedude over a book any day.

'…_Where have you been all my life?'_

"Well, what do you think it could be?" Beast Boy wondered if she had any ideas that they hadn't.

"Hell if I know. It's probably some new spellcasting creep we haven't dealt with yet. I mean, it's possible someone slipped out of their cell without anyone noticing in the last month, but that seems unlikely."

"Well maybe the others will find something new."

"And find a way to pin it on me," Jinx said, rolling her eyes. "I say we check some of the places out ourselves later."

"You sure? I feel like the others will be able to find any evidence left behind."

"Sure. Or maybe we'll get lucky and find something they don't," she said with a smirk. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"You really think you can… Increase the chance of finding evidence?"

"Worth a shot," she said with a shrug. "I still haven't figured out everything my hexes can do you know."

"Fair enough. But we should wait until Robin, Cyborg, and Raven are all done. I'd hate to run into them."

"Works for me. So now what?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be searching the city for the suspect." Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head as he often did.

"I see, I see…" Jinx moved a bit closer. "And what will you do once you find her?" Beast Boy played along.

"Ask her to come peacefully and face justice. Avoid a fight if I can."

"Such a hero!" Jinx held the back of her hand over forehead and pretended to faint. "But what if she doesn't surrender?"

"Well…" Beast Boy grabbed her sides as she grabbed his shoulders. "I guess I'd have to resort to force."

"Oooh, so dangerous!" She leaned in, practically whispering in his ear. "But what if she's too much for you to handle…?" Suddenly, she swiftly and nimbly flipped over his entire body, pressing her hands against his shoulders for leverage. She then grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. "It could be risky."

"I think I'll be alright," Beast Boy said confidently. He quickly leaned forward, causing Jinx to lose her balance a bit and loosen her grip. As she did, he immediately freed himself, whipped around, and pinned her against the wall by her shoulders. "I can handle myself just fine."

"Don't be so sure," Jinx said slyly as her legs suddenly sprang up and wrapped around her foe. The sudden shift in weight made him stumble back a bit, allowing her to wrap her arms around his, effectively trapping him in a sort of octopus hug. "These villains can be so unpredictable…"

"That may be, but I'm resourceful." Without warning, the green teen turned into a small snake, slipping out of Jinx's grasp. With nothing to hold her up, she instantly fell to the floor, sprawled on her back. Her opponent morphed back into human form, on his hands and knees as he lied over her, hands pinning her arms again.

"Cheater!" Jinx cried, not happy with him using his powers.

"Just another word for winner," Beast Boy said with a grin. Jinx simply stuck her tongue out. "So, do you surrender?"

"Not yet… I still have one thing left to try."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Come closer and I'll tell you," Beast Boy leaned in, pleased with where this was going. "Closer."

He leaned in even more.

"Closer…"

Now their faces were inches apart. Jinx grabbed his face, just like last night.

"Now then…" Beast Boy shut his eyes and puckered his lips as he waited for the kiss.

However, instead of her sweet lips, he instead felt her hands leave his face. Before he could react, she had grabbed his sides and in one motion flipped him over.

"Oof!" He made a sound as he hit the floor, the pink-eyed girl now on top of him. "Hey, you tricked me!"

"Just getting even. Now…" Her hands slowly began drifting down her captive's arms. "I'm going to make you regret picking a fight with me,"

"What are you talking abo- Oh… Oh no, no!" His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Her hands rest at his armpits.

"Oh yes."

"Please, anything but that, anyth-AAUGHHEE!" He suddenly began to convulse as his girlfriend began to tickle him. "Ahahaha… J-jinx, stop, I-I-I ahahahaha!" He could barely speak as she relentlessly attacked.

"Give up?" She asked, grinning evilly as she continued her work.

"Jinx, I-I c-c-can't… Ahahaha! Can't b-breathe…!" Beast Boy gasped. She rolled her eyes.

"What a baby…" She started to ease up, but instantly regretted it when he sprang up and grabbed hold of her before tickling her as well. "N-nooo!" She too was soon unable to control her laughter.

The intense battle continued for several minutes, neither of the two entangled teens wanting to give in. Their laughter would have been heard from outside if anyone had been around. Finally, when they were both about to collapse from oxygen deprivation, they released each other.

"T… truce…?" Beast Boy panted, practically sweating.

"Yeah… Truce…" Jinx was equally winded. They rose to their feet once they had both caught their breath.

"Hey, is that a Z-box?" Beast Boy noticed the game console under Jinx's TV.

"Yeah. I don't have much though. I mostly play Space Cyborg Samurais 3." Beast Boy's eyes lit up as she said this.

"Dude! I LOVE that game! We play it all the time back at the tower. I'm like the best there is at it," he said proudly, puffing his chest slightly. "Undefeated champion."

"Is that so?" Jinx raised an eyebrow. "Funny, _I_ was the champ back when I was with the H.I.V.E Five… Never lost a match, even when Gizmo tried to hack the system."

"Really? You're the best, huh?"

Their eyes locked as they both began to burn with competitive spirit. They both knew what was about to happen.

"I have a second controller."

"Do you now?" Jinx had already turned on the console.

"Loser buys lunch?" She suggested as they sat down, controllers in hand.

"Sure. I could use a free meal."

"Mm-hmm… Just make sure you don't cry too hard when you lose."

The pair both turned their attention to the screen as the game booted up, blazing determination in their eyes. Solving crimes would come later; this was far more important.

* * *

**Looks like our heroes have a little mystery on their hands. Who could be behind these crimes? Find out soon!**


	7. Seduction and Suspicion

**Hey all! It's been a little while.**

* * *

"And you're certain you can't remember anything else?"

"I'm sorry, but… That's it. Everything else is a blur."

"Nothing about the culprit? Maybe their gender or age… Even something like their hair color would help."

"Like I said, it's all a blur. All I know is it was one person. They trashed the place, but all they took was that one book."

Robin rubbed his temples in annoyance as he finally gave up. He had been conversing with the proprietor of "The Scribe" for a solid five minutes now trying to get any more information. Sure enough, the short, gray-haired woman was unable to recall any important details outside of the stolen book. He was hoping that maybe she had remembered something else; even the smallest detail could mean a breakthrough.

"Well, thanks all the same," Robin said, turning around. "Cyborg, you find anything?"

"Nothing worth mentioning. Security footage cuts out, and there aren't any recognizable fingerprints or anything." The store was relatively small, and it hadn't taken the metallic Titan long to fully investigate it.

"Yeah, thought so," Robin said with a frustrated sigh. Nearly three hours of the same thing; this had been the fourth crime scene the Titans had searched, and nothing new had come up. It shouldn't have been a surprise; they hadn't found anything the first time, and neither did police, but they had made sure to be extremely thorough this time around.

"Maybe Raven's got something," Cyborg pointed out. The third team member was currently in some sort of trance as she floated a few inches above the ground. She was "scanning" the area for any traces of magic that the culprit may have left behind, hoping to confirm Robin's suspicions. Sadly, that had proved fruitless at the previous crime scenes as well.

"We'll have to wait until she's finished. She needs to concentrate." Robin reached into his utility belt and pulled out his communicator. "Starfire, Beast Boy, you there?" He was hoping they were having better luck, but he doubted it.

"Yes Robin? Do you have something to report?" Starfire quickly responded.

"Unfortunately, we haven't found anything yet. How are things on your end? Any leads on Jinx?"

"I have also been unsuccessful," Starfire replied. "There is no sign of her. I have also asked around, but nobody I spoke to has seen her recently."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Searching a city for one person with no leads was borderline impossible, even if they were as recognizable as Jinx.

"Yeah, can't say I've had any luck either, over." Beast Boy suddenly spoke up. "I mean, for all we know she could have left town already."

"I suppose there's a chance. But anyways, it sounds like you at least got the word out that we're looking for her." It was very possible that Jinx had been moving around the city without the public realizing she had quit the team, so letting the city know she was wanted was important.

"Right. Well, I'll keep looking. Out." Robin could tell Beast Boy wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but he didn't want to start another argument.

"I too shall continue searching," Starfire said before the both she and Beast Boy disconnected. Robin put away his communicator, shaking his head.

"Nothing, huh?" Cyborg noticed his teammate's frustration. Robin simply nodded. "Well what can you do? Nobody's seen her for weeks."

"It's not just that. I'm a bit worried about Beast Boy. His attitude this morning…"

"Hey, can you blame the guy? I don't think any of us want to believe it." In truth, Cyborg wasn't convinced she was behind this either. But at the same time, he recognized that she was their best lead. "And remember, he was probably closer to her than any of us."

"I get that, but we need to be professional about this." It was true; though she hadn't been part of the team for that long, Jinx and Beast Boy had seemed to get along quite well after she ended her life of crime. While Robin was certainly willing to believe she had reformed, he was surprised at how quickly Beast Boy accepted her as a Titan. Years of fighting seemed to mean nothing to him; he acted like she had always been a teammate. Robin, on the other hand, wasn't so quick to forget. While he wasn't about to turn her request to join the team down, being mentored by Batman made him reluctant to trust her at first. He had monitored her actions closely when he first joined, making sure she had no ulterior motives. The rest of the team, with the exception of Starfire, was similarly slow to trust her, though not quite as much as Robin.

'_I know he acted like that because of what happened with Terra, but doesn't he see that this is completely different? It's not like we drove her off.'_

"Just give him some time," Cyborg's voice shook Robin from his thoughts. "It sounds like he's already getting used to-

"Got something," Raven suddenly interrupted the two. The conversation completely left Robin's mind as he quickly turned to her.

'_Finally…'_

"What did you find?" He practically ran up to the young sorceress. Her eyes were still shut as she moved her hands around a bit, as if she was trying to "feel" for the source.

"It's very small, but..." Her hands glowed black as she focused. "It's definitely magic. I'd say it's been here for about a week, maybe."

"That fits the timing of the robbery," Cyborg remarked.

"Is there any way to tell where it came from? Maybe what it was used for or who made it?" Robin asked, clearly eager for a breakthrough. Raven focused once again.

"…Hm… It's too faint." The empath came out of her trance. "It's impossible to say where it came from or who made it. Honestly, it took a lot of effort to even sense that it was there at all."

"Damn, I figured it wouldn't be that easy," Robin muttered. They were so close, yet so far. "Well, at least we can confirm that magic's involved." He pulled out his communicator again. "Beast Boy, Starfire, come in. We just found something important."

"Really? This is most excellent!" Starfire was quite happy to hear that someone's luck was changing.

"What is it?" Beast Boy once again took a moment to respond.

"Raven picked up some traces of magic at The Scribe. It's too faint to say exactly what it was used for, but according to her it's been here for about a week."

"And that place was robbed about a week ago, right?" Beast Boy asked.

"Exactly. So that all but confirms the spellcaster theory. It's not much, but it's a start."

"So what's the next move?"

"Well, there are still two more crime scenes to investigate, but something tells me we're not going to find much."

"Yeah, it's pretty clear whoever's behind this isn't leaving any physical evidence behind," Cyborg said. "Raven, you think you'll be able to find anything else like this?"

"Doubt it. I was barely able to sense anything here, and this was the most recent break-in. Any traces of whatever magic was used are probably gone everywhere else." Raven was fairly pessimistic about any further investigating, and it was apparent that finding this clue had been somewhat tiring for her. Robin seemed to agree with them.

"Well there isn't much point in wasting time with that." He spoke into the communicator again. "Head back to the tower, you guys. We can discuss where to go from here. I'm going to contact some other Titans to make sure the suspect hasn't moved somewhere else."

"Got it, heading back to the tower, over and out."

"I shall return as well."

Putting away his communicator again, Robin returned his attention to the others.

"So that's it then?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't like it either, but there's simply nothing we can do at the moment. At this rate, we may just have to wait for another robbery." Robin was visibly annoyed with the lack of information. Waiting for crime to strike wasn't his style. He turned back to the elderly owner of the store. "Thank you again for letting us investigate your shop. I promise, we'll catch whoever's responsible."

"You better. Rascal made a mess of the place trying to find that book. Took me forever to get it all back in order. Just wish I could remember what they looked like." She paused. "But be careful. That book supposedly had some mighty powerful spells in it. If could be dangerous." It was evident that the old lady didn't find the concept of magic existing too hard to believe. She seemed like the superstitious type.

"We'll keep that in mind. Titans, move!" With that, the trio headed out the door.

* * *

"Well that's just great," Beast Boy groaned as he put down his communicator. "As if they didn't have enough reason to suspect you."

"Yeah well, what can you do?" Jinx shrugged. She was half-expecting something like this to happen.

The couple had spent around an hour playing their game. Ultimately, they were evenly matched, neither truly outcompeting the other. They finally agreed to call it a draw after losing count of the games, and made lunch together. Granted, it was a pretty basic meal given Jinx's limited supplies, but they enjoyed it all the same. Afterwards they had simply sat together on the couch and spent over an hour talking about whatever came to mind, all while cuddling of course.

"So what's going to happen now?" Jinx asked, leaning against Beast Boy's shoulder. She was legitimately starting to worry; she was a wanted criminal again, and now the city was going to know it.

"No idea. It sounds like we're going to figure that out back at the tower. I'll let you know as soon as I can." Beast Boy was very determined to keep in her in the loop. "But I'd imagine we're just going to be patrolling more than usual. At this point I don't think we can do a lot more."

"Awesome." The sarcasm in Jinx's voice was very apparent. "So I'm going to always have to make sure one of your pals isn't right behind me."

"Hey, hey…" Beast Boy pulled her closer. "Don't worry, I'll tell you whenever anyone's on patrol."

"I know you will." She suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You're sweet like that." She smirked, practically feeling the heat from Beast Boy's blushing face; she loved knowing she had that kind of effect on him.

'_HE never did that when I kissed him.'_

For some strange reason, Jinx currently felt closer to Beast Boy than she ever had to Wally, something she found funny considering she hadn't even learned Beast Boy's real name yet. Maybe it was because she had been alone for so long, or maybe it was just that Beast Boy was a better guy than him. She knew they were moving somewhat fast considering they had only been together for a couple days now, but she didn't really care. Just sitting alone with him talking about all the adventures they had both had over the years was very enjoyable, and she loved getting to know him more. Which begged the question…

"Hey, Beast Boy?"

"Hm?"

"You know, we've been getting to know each so well these past couple days, and I just realized… I still don't know your name." The question seemed to catch Beast Boy off guard as he tensed up a bit.

"U-uh, well… I guess you don't!" He stammered, clearly a bit nervous.

"…Well?" She looked at him expectantly.

"W-well what?"

"Aren't you going to tell me? I feel like I should know my boyfriend's name, you know?"

"Er… Um…" He actually tugged at his collar a bit, which she found amusing. "It's not important… I mean, it's hard to…"

"Come on, what's the big deal? Do you not trust me enough?" She sounded hurt.

"No, it's not that… It's just…" He blushed again. "It's kind of an embarrassing name."

"Oh please." Jinx rolled her eyes. He was being a bit immature about this.

"I'm serious! It's just… Ugh." He leaned against the couch, groaning. "You'll laugh."

"Aw, no I won't." Deciding on a different approach, she suddenly started to climb on top of him. She knew how to get him to talk.

"What are you…" He gulped. She was now lying on top of him, hands on his shoulders.

"Come on big guy, you can tell me," She said in a voice. Beast Boy looked away, trying to avoid her hypnotic gaze. He knew what she was trying to do, but that didn't change the fact that it was working.

"Jinx, I'm serious."

"So am I." His heart started pounding as she rubbed his shoulders. "Come on, tell me." She was practically whining now.

"Jinx, please sto…" He made the mistake of looking at her face. He instantly became enthralled by her vibrant pink orbs, feeling all resistance leave him. He had fallen under her "spell".

'…_How can I say to that face?'_

"Alright, alright, you win." He finally conceded. In an instant, the girl atop him dropped her seductress façade, sitting up. He sighed. "You didn't have to stop, you know…" He muttered.

"Maybe if you tell me I'll keep going," She said with a sly look. Beast Boy liked the sound of that. "So?" He hesitated.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Scout's honor!" She said with a salute. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"You're not a scout. Anyways, my real name's…" He looked away, mumbling something incomprehensible.

"Uh, what?" She put a hand to her ear. "Speak up."

"…field." She still couldn't make it out.

"Beast Boy, seriously."

"Garfield, alright? Garfield Logan." He said angrily, crossing his arms. She blinked a few times.

"Garfield? What, like the cat?"

"Yes, like the cat," He growled. "It's dumb, I know."

"Yeah, it kind of is." Beast Boy winced, not expecting her brutal honesty.

"Ouch."

"What, you said so yourself," she said, rolling her eyes again. "But that other name's not bad."

"Other name? Wait, you mean-

"Yeah, Logan. I like that one."

"…Logan eh?" He thought about it for a moment, and smiled. "I could get used to that."

"Then it's settled." She started to get off him.

"Hey wait…"

"Hey, I said maybe," She said with a wink. She giggled as the green teen's face fell. "Aw, cheer up. _Maybe_ next time."

"Hmph," Beast Boy crossed his arms, pouting. She had played him for a fool and it worked. As she got off him, Jinx noticed the clock.

"Hey, when did your team want you back?" Beast Boy jumped a bit.

"Oh crud, that's right!" He sprang to his feet." Jinx frowned, secretly wishing she hadn't reminded him. "If I don't get back soon they might start asking questions."

"Yeah, I guess they will." She hated to see him go, but she knew he was right. She walked with him to the door. When they got to it, he turned to her.

"Like I said, I'll keep you filled in on what's happening," He assured her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "And I promise I'll make sure they won't find you."

"But when will I see you again?" Their current situation might make future meet-ups a bit difficult.

"Hard to say. It could be a few days. Coming here today was already a little risky. If they bothered to check my movement at all…"

"Yeah, I figured. Just promise me you'll come by if you can, alright? I'm honestly a bit scared here…" She had no clue what she'd do if the Titans found her.

"Hey, we'll find out who's really behind this. And once we clear your name, we can tell them about us and get you out of here."

"Damn right we will." Jinx was more than determined to catch the real culprit and rejoin the team; Beast Boy had reignited the heroism in her heart. "But just in case we don't see each other for a while…" Beast Boy immediately caught on, and they pulled each other into their second real kiss. It was a much fuller kiss than last night's; their arms wrapped around each other's bodies as they stood in silence, lips locked. Jinx made a soft, pleasured sound as her lips parted slightly, pressing against her lover's mouth a bit more. He did the same, his breathing becoming a bit heavier as his grip on her tightened. Their kiss became more and more passionate as the pair became more and more lost in each other.

"Logan…" Jinx whispered, making Beast Boy shudder in delight. He could _definitely_ get used to that.

Slowly, Beast Boy's more feral instincts were taking over, driving him to more primal thoughts. His actions became slightly bolder, his movements rougher. Part of him wanted to stop, but his urges were too overpowering. Jinx could feel something changing in him as he gripped her tighter, but she didn't mind. She was intoxicated by her own lust; her mind was hazy. She just knew she wanted this.

Of course, deep down she knew this wasn't exactly right. She was on the verge of frenching a guy she had been dating for about a day and a half now. She hadn't even fully gotten a grip on the fact that she was dating Beast Boy of all people, that she might just be rejoining the Titans. But that part of her brain was buried beneath her physical desire. She wanted this. She needed this. She was finally being loved again…

It wasn't until she felt tongue that she came to her senses.

"Mmm!" She quickly pulled away in surprise. "Stop, stop." They two of them were practically sweating as they gasped for breath. "That's… That's enough." Beast Boy took a second to realize what just happened before he held his face with one of his hands, mentally cursing himself.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I…" He sighed, ashamed of himself. "I went too far."

"No, no I lost control too," she said between breaths. Both of them embarrassed; they had let their teenage hormones get the better of them. Of course, that's not to say they didn't love it. Neither of them said anything for a minute as they stood awkwardly.

"So… I'll catch you later?" Beast Boy broke the silence. There was no much tension in the air he felt like he was going to choke on it.

"Yeah." Jinx nodded, saying nothing else. The Titan let himself out, not wanting to make the situation any more difficult.

As soon as he left, Jinx made her way to the couch and collapsed into it, her mind still a bit dazed as she reflected on what just happened.

"God, Jinx, get a hold of yourself… It's barely been 2 days and you're already making out with the guy!" She rubbed her face with her hands. "Maybe spending a day or two away from each other isn't such a bad idea."

It wasn't that she was having second thoughts about Beast Boy. Oh no, he was a keeper. But she needed a bit more time to think. She needed to make sure she knew just how far she was willing to go with him right now, and whether what they were just about to do was appropriate.

Because honestly… She almost didn't pull away.

"Oh… I hope I didn't upset him too much," she said to herself. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

She pulled out her phone.

* * *

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID!" Beast Boy walked down the street, punching his head as he yelled at himself. "You always have to screw up!"

Why did he have to try that? Why couldn't he just get control of himself? He knew he was inexperienced when it came to relationships, and he knew he wasn't exactly himself for a bit back there, but it was no excuse.

He felt his phone buzz. Stopping, he reached into his pocket and looked at the ID.

"Crap…" He muttered as he answered it. "…Hello?"

"Logan? Logan, are you there?" Jinx sounded concerned.

"Yeah, I'm here." He paused. "Look, Jinx, I'm really sorry about just now. I-

"It's okay, Logan," she cut him off. "Really, don't worry about it. We both got ahead of ourselves is all."

"So you're not mad?"

"Of course not!" Now she paused. "But listen, I was just thinking…"

'_Oh no…' _He felt his heart sink as he anticipated the next words.

"…Maybe a little time apart would be good for us, you know?" Beast Boy winced. "I don't want to break up, but I just… I need some time to think, you know? I've been on my own for weeks now, and all of sudden I have a boyfriend again. It's a lot to take in." He took a second to register that they weren't breaking up, and mentally cheered.

"Yeah, I get you. We have been going kind of fast." It was a big change for Beast Boy as well; Terra was the closest thing he had ever had to a girlfriend, and they hadn't even made it past the first date before everything went wrong. They had never gotten nearly as serious as this.

"Just a day or two is all," She said with an assuring tone. "You just… Surprised me is all. I need to make sure I'm comfortable with that before we go that far so soon."

Her phrasing was a bit surprising. She didn't seem to mind how fast their relationship was moving, physically speaking. The question was, did he?

"Yeah… Just a day or two."

"Just to take a little time and make sure we actually process this all. We can focus on solving those robberies for now."

"Yeah, sounds good." Stabilizing their relationship would probably also be easier once they didn't have to hide it.

"Just give me a call when you figure out what the situation with the Titans is like."

"Got it. I'll talk to you then, bye.

"Bye!" She hung up.

Beast Boy pocketed his phone, his mind a bit clearer now. He was admittedly upset about not being able to see Jinx for a bit, but he knew she was right. This relationship had sort of sprung up out of nowhere for both of them, and they each needed time to think. Besides, he had to focus; there was a criminal on the loose, after all.

Not wanting waste anymore time, he morphed into a bird and headed for the tower.

* * *

Starfire was already at the tower when Beast Boy got back. He wasn't too surprised; she hadn't gotten "sidetracked" like he did. The others weren't too far behind him, returning just a few minutes after he arrived. They had all gathered in the ops room once again to discuss the next course of action for the case.

"…And so I think we've done just about everything we can at the moment," Robin was currently "debriefing" the team as to what had been found. "That magical trace Raven found may have told us much, but at least we know this isn't a normal case."

"And it sounds like the two of you were able to let the city know that Jinx is potentially a criminal again," Cyborg said, referring to Starfire and Beast Boy. "If anyone spots her, we'll know."

"And I've contacted some of our nearby teammates. None of them have reported any signs of Jinx in their zones. She was last sighted here in Jump City before she left the team."

"So… We've basically gotten nowhere," Raven said, summarizing everything.

"Well, we at least have a better understanding of what's going on." Robin tried to be a bit optimistic about the situation. "But at the moment, all we can do is remain vigilant. We'll keep up regular patrols around the city starting today. There's no reason to assume this thief won't strike again."

"Honestly, our best bet may be to wait for another robbery. A fresh crime scene might prove helpful. I may be able to pinpoint what sort of magic is being used." Raven suggested.

"I'm hoping it won't have to come to that." Robin still wasn't thrilled with the idea, even if it was logical. "I'll work out patrol schedules for the next few days. For now, you're all dismissed."

With official business done for now, the team dispersed from the room. Cyborg headed for the garage; he had noticed a few things with the T-Car that he wanted to fix up. Starfire went off to play with Silkie, that mutant larvae Beast Boy had brought to the tower long ago, while Robin headed to his room to do some work. Beast Boy also left for his room, likely to play a game or something. Only Raven stayed behind, still sitting on the sofa. She was deep in thought, but not about the robberies.

"Beast Boy… Just what are you hiding?"

She had been sensing very strange emotions from the changeling all since yesterday. This morning during the mission briefing, he had been giving off very positive feelings at first. But when Jinx came up, he obviously grew very upset. She didn't mention anything because she didn't want to sidetrack the mission.

But just now, he had very different emotions. She could sense a hint of sadness along with a great deal of worry and anticipation; something was obviously bugging him. Putting this information together with what she felt from him yesterday, she began to wonder.

Everyone had assumed Beast Boy was being protective of Jinx simply because of what had happened to Terra, but now Raven wasn't so sure. She had to admit that she shared his opinion on Jinx being the culprit, however; though it was true she was currently the only suspect who wasn't incapacitated in some way, it just didn't make sense. She was never this professional and careful, and stealing a book on magic wasn't really her style. She never mentioned having any interest in studying sorcery, even if her hexes were arcane in nature. So why suddenly do all this? How was she able to mess with everyone's memories? None of it added up. But at the same time, there was nobody else Raven could think of. Perhaps she should ask Robin to double check the status on some of their magically adept enemies, just to make sure they were up to date.

But as for Beast Boy, Raven wasn't entirely sure how to approach. It was obvious something was going on that he didn't want to tell anyone, and there was a chance it could interfere with the mission. She had an obligation as a Teen Titan to deal with the problem, but she also had a duty as a friend to not invade his privacy too much. She had no intention of telling the others either; Starfire and Cyborg would surely tell Robin, and Robin was not the best at dealing with situations like this, especially when it came to Beast Boy.

Much like Raven, Robin differed in tons of ways from Beast Boy. That's not to say they didn't get along, but they didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things. Robin was no-nonsense and far less laid back than Beast Boy, and would constantly get on his case for slacking. It was clear Beast Boy had some issues with authority as well, and after meeting his old team's leader, Mento, Raven could see why. Perhaps Robin reminded Beast Boy of Mento at times, which may have set something off in him. In any case, Beast Boy seemed to have a harder time talking to Robin about more personal issues than the rest of the team.

"Which means I'm going to have to talk to him myself…" She muttered. She wasn't going to go in accusing him of anything, but just ask if something was wrong. If he wanted to talk, he would. Of course, if it got to the point where his secrets were actually jeopardizing the mission, she wouldn't be so kind.

"Jinx and Beast Boy… Could that actually be a thing?" She smirked at the idea. It was unlikely, but she couldn't ignore the possibility. She headed for Beast Boy's room, preparing herself.

* * *

In another part of the city, far from the giant gleaming T that watched over it, a small, abandoned factory stood. The building was worn; it was evident that it hadn't been used for some time. There was nothing to indicate what had been produced there; any signs were either worn away or stolen. People rarely came by the place for various reasons. For most, it was simply because of the danger; the building looked unstable, and its age suggested it may not have been up to date on safety standards. Others believed it was haunted, as is the case with most buildings like it, and were too scared to investigate. Of course, there was always thrill-seekers and ghost hunters exploring it.

However, if there had been anyone nearby, they likely would have scared off by the faint, crazed laughter that could be heard from the inside.

Inside the run-down building, a lone figure sat on a very crude bed in makeshift bedroom. They held a large amount of money in their hand, which they were counting with glee as they cackled. A few valuable-looking items were present in the room.

"Boy, I haven't seen this much green in a long time," the figure mused, clearly pleased with themselves. "Fencing off some of that junk wasn't easy, but it sure paid off!" The figure's voice suggested that it was a male.

"Your desire for material wealth is noted, but we have more important matters to attend to," A second voice spoke, but there was nobody else around. It was also male, though much calmer and refined in its tone.

"Yeah yeah yeah, you always go on about that. Can't I have a little fun with my new tricks?" He walked up to what appeared to be a stand with a large mirror on it, speaking to it. "It's bad enough I have to hide out in this dump and do all this business in secret. It's just not my style! What good is it having being able to pull this all off if I don't have an audience to amaze?"

"And you will have your audience. But first, we must focus on the matter at hand. You did well acquiring the book, and I have been able to study it thoroughly." The voice was coming from the mirror, which glowed as it spoke. An open book sat on the mirror's stand.

"Yeah you've been looking through that all week. You find what we need to get you out of there?"

"I believe I have found something, but it will require further research. I should be able to determine what we will need in a few days' time."

"Sweet, just say when. The people are dying for another show!"

"All in good time, my young servant… All in good time."

* * *

**IMPORTANT: This may likely be my last update for several weeks. I have some important things coming up, and will be away from a computer for awhile. I may be able to get 1 more chapter out before then, but after that it will be awhile before the next update. **

**Having Jinx call BB Logan instead of Garfield is something I got from Reavus's BB/J series, which I again advise you read. It's also just a personal preference as I don't like the name Garfield either. **

**Until next time!**


	8. Half-Truths

**I'm back! Let's continue shall we?**

* * *

In the middle of a relatively small park, a young girl sat on a swing, slowly rocking back and forth. She had been here for about a half hour. The park was surprisingly empty for a warm summer afternoon; there were only a few other groups of people in sight of the girl. She didn't mind; she wanted to be alone. She scratched at her brown hair, a few streaks of pink visible underneath.

"How can something be so damn itchy?"

Jinx was once again in disguise, having gone out shortly after her VERY close encounter with Beast Boy. She occasionally came to this park to help her relax, the fresh air often helping to clear her head. And she had a lot of clearing to do today.

She didn't regret her decision. She and Beast Boy had gotten a little ahead of themselves, and they needed to step back and think. Again, suddenly having a boyfriend after a month of solitude was a huge change for her, and being a wanted criminal again didn't help the situation.

A boyfriend. For the first time Jinx really began to think about that fact. This wasn't one of her little flings she used to have at the H.I.V.E Academy. She was a different girl then, and often fooled around with guys for a few days. It never got serious, either on a physical or emotional level. She had certainly had some relationships, but they never lasted. Wally was easily the longest she had spent with someone.

She sighed as she thought about her relationship with the speedy hero. They had spent the better part of a year together, something that Jinx could hardly believe at this point. Of course, the last bit of that was mostly fighting, but still. She couldn't help but smile as she recalled those first few months with him. Everything was just… Simpler back then; she had finally gotten used to being a hero and loved every minute of it. She loved the feeling of doing the right thing, of helping those in need. Of course, kicking bad guy butt was a lot of fun too. She had found fulfillment that being a criminal had never really given her. And she had someone to love.

"Heh… Love."

For a time, Jinx genuinely thought she was in love with Kid Flash. They had been together for months, after all. He was the one who had helped her get a fresh start, the one who believed in her. He was always going to be there for her.

Or so she thought.

Over the past month, she had reflected on her relationship quite a bit. During that time she had realized that there were actually a lot of signs she had missed about Wally. Even during the start of their relationship he was very fond of flirting with other girls. Back then she didn't really think much of it; she was too focused on getting used to all the changes that were happening in her life. She also didn't want to risk her relationship by seeming overly jealous or something. After all, there was no harm in him talking to other girls right?

Well, over time that changed. His flirting got a bit more serious and frequent, and there was a time Jinx believed he may have been cheating on her. She never got proof, but even now she wondered if that had been the case.

"Sure wouldn't surprise me," she said to herself.

Still, she was thankful to Wally in a weird way. Because of him, she learned a lot about what to look out for in a relationship. It was why she wanted to take a small break with Logan; she didn't want another relationship to end like her last one did.

She thought back to the events that had just occurred back at her apartment. How they had lost themselves in each other. How far they had gone, and how far that had nearly gone.

It wasn't like she hadn't done that before; oh no, she had gone much farther with Wally when she was with him. Again, it was the reason she had pulled away like she did.

It was another sign Jinx should have seen. On the physical side of their relationship, Wally was rather forceful. Much like with Logan, they had moved kind of fast. Most of that was because of him. He was always trying to go one step farther with things, always pushing a little past Jinx's comfort zone. And he pressured her into a lot of it. It wasn't completely against her will or anything, but she often went as far as she did because he convinced her to.

She scowled as she recalled some of their dirtiest "sessions". She hadn't felt fully comfortable then, and she sure as hell didn't feel comfortable now. She was extremely thankful that they never managed to go all the way, despite him bringing it up a lot.

Feeling Beast Boy's tongue reminded her of all that, which is why she pulled away. However, unlike Wally, he was immediately apologetic. Hell, he was almost TOO sorry; she wasn't nearly as upset as he thought she was. It was very different from how Wally acted, and it was more evidence that he really cared about her.

So, how did she feel about that kiss then? Now that she had had some time to think clearly, she could confidently say that she was okay with it. Except for what happened at the end, she didn't really feel uncomfortable about anything. Yes, she knew it was a bit odd to be doing something like that so soon, but if neither of them minded then who cares? Granted, she had no idea how he felt about it all.

However, there was a lot more she needed to process than just that kiss. She had to consider the prospect of a long-term relationship with Logan and what they would mean for them, of rejoining the Titans and most likely actually living in the tower.

She continued to swing back and forth as she began to dive into more of these thoughts.

* * *

Back at Titans Tower, Beast Boy was in a similar state of mind. He was sitting at his desk, repeatedly throwing a small rubber ball against the wall. Not the most exciting activity, but it gave him something to do with his hands while he thought. The past few days had been pretty eventful, and he had a feeling the next few days were going to be even crazier.

Thinking about it, Beast Boy was amazed at how quickly things had changed for him. His love life had done a complete 180 in just two or three days, and had nearly done another. It had all happened so fast that he could barely understand it.

"That's probably why she wanted us to stop seeing each other for a bit," he reasoned. She was likely feeling the same way. Hell, she was probably having an even tougher time getting used to it due to her being alone in that apartment for several weeks. He silently cursed himself for not considering that before he did what he did just a little while ago. He needed to learn to control himself better, to keep his more animalistic self in check. When that feral side of his mind had taken a bit more control, he began having unpleasant thoughts about Jinx. For a fleeting moment, he did not think of her as a partner, or teammate, or anything like that; just a mate. She was his.

The young hero shuddered. Keeping his instincts held back was something he was very serious about. He recalled "The Beast" incident, the time when his bestial tendencies had taken more control than they ever had. He had been violent, confrontational, and just an overall jerk to his team, especially to Raven. He had harbored some anger for her because of her refusal to open up and her treatment of him for awhile, and that anger exploded when his animal side began to take over. Of course, in the end his desire to protect won out over his anger.

Since then, he had taken extra steps in containing that side of him. Meditation with Raven helped a lot, and he would even take some days to go out into the wilderness and let it take over for a few hours. But while he had managed to tame the violence and anger, he had never even considered the romantic side of things. His inner beast, like a lot of male mammals, saw females as just mates; something he owned. Something he dominated.

"No!" He suddenly cried out, tossing the ball across the room. He was disgusted with those thoughts; Jinx was not an object to him; she was not his to own. He growled, leaning back in his chair. He vowed to spend the day trying to get his more sexual instincts under control.

Of course, this was all issues with the relationship on a physical level. What about the emotional level? Well for Beast Boy there wasn't much to say. While he certainly had to get used to idea of having a girlfriend, he knew exactly how he felt about her by now. He had spent the past few days thinking about that non-stop, and he had no doubts about how much he cared for her. He could only hope that the team could solve this case soon so that he and Jinx could stop hiding. After all, he wasn't sure how long he could keep it from them. Especially from…

Beast Boy jumped as a knock at his door startled him. Now who could that be?

"Beast Boy?"

He felt the color leave his face as the voice spoke.

'_Speak of the devil…'_

"Beast Boy, are you in there?"

Seeing no point in delaying, the changeling reluctantly got up and made his way to the door. After a moment's hesitation, he slid the door open, forcing a smile.

"What's up, Raven?" He asked cheerfully. While the two of them had become much better friends, it was still rare for her to drop by his room. She simply nodded in greeting, her face expressionless as usual.

"Do you have a minute?" She asked in her normal flat voice. Despite the lack of emotion, Beast Boy could tell something was on her mind. This wasn't just a friendly visit.

"Uh… Yeah, sure." Saying no would just make him look suspicious. "You want to come in?" Raven nodded once again and stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind her.

"I still don't understand how you can live like this," Raven remarked as she looked around the room. It was a mess as always; clothes hanging out of drawers and on the floor, comics and games stacked in unorganized piles, unmade beds… Beast Boy seemed to have some standards though, as there was no loose trash lying around.

"Hey like I've said, it's clean to me." Raven rolled her eyes; he always went on about how this was his way of organizing things, how they didn't understand... In other words he was lazy and making excuses. But she wasn't here to criticize his living space. "So what did you want to talk about?" He asked, curiosity in his voice.

Raven was a little unsure about how to approach the issue. She could sense that her teammate was nervous, implying that he knew why she was here. If she tried to be too direct he'd probably just wall her off. She'd have to try to be discreet.

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright," she began. "You've been hiding in your room a lot these past couple days."

"Where have I heard that befre?" Beast Boy asked, pointing out the irony of the situation.

"I'm serious. Last night you were in here pretty much all evening. You also seemed distressed today." It didn't take an empath to see that.

"…You mean this morning, right?" Beast Boy had a feeling that outburst was going to come back to bite him. "That was just me being tired. I had just gotten up and the first thing I'm told is one of my friends is committing robberies? You'd have a hard time believing it too."

"But you still think she's innocent, right?"

"…Yeah, I do." There was no point in lying about it. "I know she's the 'only suspect' or whatever, but I just don't understand why-

"I know. I don't believe it either."

"Huh?" Beast Boy blinked in surprise. "But didn't you find-

"Magical traces at the crime scene, yes. But nothing adds up. Memory tampering was never something she was able to do. And she doesn't actually study magic; her power is just innate talent. So why take the book? It's rare, but not particularly valuable."

"Try telling that to Robin," Beast Boy muttered.

"I will. I'm going to see if we can double check the status of other magical-based villains. Make sure we haven't overlooked something."

In truth, Raven was far more concerned about solving the crime than proving Jinx's innocence. It wasn't because she believed in Jinx or anything like that; she wouldn't be remotely surprised if the hexer really had returned to crime. But the evidence just didn't fit, and Raven didn't want to waste time chasing after the wrong person. Beast Boy recognized this.

That's why he still couldn't tell her.

"Well um… Thanks." He hadn't thought to ask about double checking the others. "Was that it?"

"You didn't answer my question." Raven wasn't about to let him off that easy. "Is everything alright?"

"I already told you-

"Yes, this morning you were angry about Jinx. But it wasn't just this morning." She was referring to his behavior yesterday as well as today. "Look, I don't want to intrude, but there are things I can't stop myself from noticing..."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Beast Boy sighed. He couldn't just lie to her; she'd be able to tell if he was being dishonest in an instant. But he couldn't tell her the truth either. At least, not the whole truth. He took several seconds as he planned out what he was going to say. "Alright, if you really need to know… There's this girl I met yesterday."

Raven had to keep her eyes from widening; she didn't expect him to be this forthcoming.

"We met at the mall. Don't know why we started to talk but we did. We seemed to really hit it off. I even got her number!" Beast Boy was acting like he had first met this girl at the mall. "I don't know why, but I just… Felt something, you know? Maybe it was Cyborg finally getting me to stop thinking about Terra so much, but I really wanted to get to know her more." He paused. "That's why you didn't see me at all last night. After around 8 I was talking with her until I went to bed." He wasn't lying; he had, in fact been, talking with Jinx all night. But of course he was making it sound like he just been on the phone.

"Hmph. I had a feeling it was something like that." Satisfied with his answer, Raven felt that she could be more upfront about what she had felt from him. "You had the same emotions as Robin and Starfire used to when you got back from the mall."

"Wait, you knew?" She almost smirked at he leapt back in surprise.

"It was just a hunch. Like I said, there are some things I can't help but notice." Beast Boy couldn't believe it; she could have brought this up anytime, anywhere.

"So… W-why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it wasn't my business," the mage explained. "But it was getting harder to ignore. It didn't seem like you were too happy earlier."

"Well… I talked with her today. We're still trying to work out where we stand right now. It's… A bit complicated." Again, not technically a lie. She seemed to be accepting his vague truths. "Look, I wanted to wait to tell you guys until after we had figured it out. Some of the others might have just… Complicated things."

"I understand. But we have a mission right now. You need to focus."

"Yeah I know... It's part of the reason why we're having problems right now." He smiled.

"Hmph. Well, I appreciate the honesty," Raven thanked her teammate.

"Hey, I got on your case about keeping secrets for how long?" He joked. "It wouldn't be right if I did the same thing to you." Honestly, he wanted to tell her everything. If there was someone on the team he could trust to keep a secret, it was her. But he had made a promise to Jinx, and she needed someone to trust now more than ever. "But uh… Listen, can you keep this quiet from the others?"

"I was planning on it. No need for a bunch of drama during a crime investigation." She shook her head. "Relationships…" Getting the answers she wanted, she turned to go. "I'm going to talk to Robin about the investigation."

"Good luck. Hopefully you can convince him…"

"I'll try. Oh, before I go." She turned her head. "If you don't mind me asking… What's her name?"

"Who? Oh, her." He paused, hesitating. "…Jess. Her name's Jess." Jinx DID call herself that.

"Jess, eh?" The hooded heroine looked like she wanted to ask something else, but stopped herself and left the room. The second she did, Beast Boy collapsed into his chair with an exasperated sigh.

"That was close…" He mumbled to himself. Luckily his quick thinking and half-truths seemed to satisfy Raven's curiosity. Still, he would have to be careful. The fact that she knew, or at least had a strong feeling, that he had met a girl showed that he needed to be more discreet about his emotions.

He pulled out his phone. He needed to tell Jinx about this…

* * *

Raven took a second to process everything she was just told. She could hardly believe Beast Boy had been so forthcoming about everything.

"I guess he trusts me not to tell anyone," she said to herself as she drifted down the hall. His trust was well placed of course; there was no reason to tell anyone else about that conversation. It was Beast Boy's problem, and he'd tell them when he was ready.

Still, one thing was bugging her: The name. Something about the way Beast Boy hesitated seemed off. She couldn't sense any of his usual emotions that said "I'm lying", but it still felt strange.

"I'm probably over-thinking it." It was likely that he was just uneasy about giving away her identity. She probably would have been too if she was in that situation. Either way, nothing about his explanation seemed fishy. Why would he suddenly lie about the name? Perhaps she was still considering her crazy theory. "Me and my imagination…" She shook her head. "Beast Boy and Jinx?" She held back a smirk as she tried to imagine it.

However, thinking of Jinx reminded her of what she needed to do. Someone needed to convince Robin that she may not be the only suspect. Forgetting about Beast Boy's girl drama, she headed for the leader's room.

* * *

Robin sat hunched over his keyboard, the flicker of the monitor illuminating his masked face against the dark room. He had a determined look on his face as he rapidly typed, several windows visible on the screen. If he was wearing a pointed cowl and black suit, one might have confused him for his old mentor. Currently he was looking at several articles and pictures referring to a particular book. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he read.

"What are they going to do with you…?" He asked nobody. A knock at the door got his attention.

"Come in, Raven," he instructed without moving his eyes from the screen. He had been with his team long enough to tell them apart just by the way they knocked. Some might say it was a hallmark of his detective skills. Others might say he just had way too much free time.

"You know, there's such thing as knowing too much about someone." Raven's greeting indicated that she fell in the second camp. She stepped inside. "This is terrible for your eyes, you know."

"He always liked to work in the dark. It reminds me of home." By now Robin had gotten used to looking at bright LCDs and LEDs in the darkness.

"Hmph. From what you've told us he doesn't sound the best role model," Raven remarked as she walked up to the screen. "I see you've been doing some digging." His screen was filled with images of the book that had been stolen.

"There's not much on it. But it's rare, that's for sure." He expanded some of the articles. "The woman wasn't joking. I've translated these scans, and they all contain recipes for all sorts of spells."

"These ingredients suggest they're powerful too…" Raven didn't like what she was reading.

"Yeah, this is all I could find though. Nothing about its author or anything. All we know is it came from Europe."

"Yes, the recipes suggest that." Raven couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu about some of the recipes. She had practiced more complex sorceries once before, after all.

"So, did you come here for a reason?" Robin turned to her.

"Blunt as ever… But yes. It's about Jinx." She paused. "I don't think she's behind this."

"Not you too…" Robin sighed, leaning back. "Like I told Beast Boy, she's the only suspect we have right now."

"But it doesn't make sense. She doesn't practice this sort of magic. And the book's rare, but not particularly valuable to anyone who can't use it. Jinx is the type to rob places like banks." Robin looked away. "Look, it's not that I believe Jinx wouldn't do this. It's just that the evidence doesn't point to her. She's never caused memory loss in people."

"But we can't discount the possibility that she's learned to," Robin reminded her. "We don't know her full capabilities." He paused. "But you're right about the book. I just talked with Kid Flash, and he said she never was interested in this kind of thing… But the fact of the matter is she's the only one who fits the timeframe."

"I know she does. That's why we need to double check the status on some of the others."

"What?"

"Other magic users. The information may not be up to date."

"It's been over a month, Raven. I think we'd know if someone broke out."

"Don't underestimate magic. For all we know one of them could be hypnotizing guards to keep quiet, or teleport in and out of their cell… And what about the ones we don't actually have a status on?" Her normally bored expression suddenly became one of concern. Her voice suggested worry as well. "If one of them is back, we-

"Raven." Robin held up a hand to quiet her. "…He's gone." The empath glared at him.

Her emotions were beginning to flare. "We never saw him at his full power! We have no idea what he's truly capable of!"

"We saw him get sucked into another dimension. Nothing has ever escaped that." Robin put a hand on her shoulder. "I understand that he hurt you, but we need to stick to the facts." Raven shut her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I know we do." Her stoic personality returned. "But there's always a chance…"

"I think we'd know if he's back," Robin assured her. "However, you're right about the possibility of someone hiding their escape. Like you said, we shouldn't underestimate magic." He brought up the list of magic-adept villains from before. "I'll have some of the others double check the status on these guys." Robin was admittedly skeptical, but it was a possibility they couldn't ignore.

"…Thank you." Raven nodded in appreciation. "And… I'm sorry for the outburst. It's not like me to-

"No need. He's someone you have a personal stake against. I'm… The last person who should be lecturing people about that," Robin half-joked, reminding her of his history with Slade. "Besides, it's good to hear the real you once in awhile." It wasn't often that Raven really expressed herself. The sorceress gave her leader a rare smile before leaving without anther word.

As she left, Robin began to contact other Titans. He didn't want to spend too much time asking them to double check the incarcerated criminals. There was still a lot he wanted to get done. He knew from the start that it didn't make much sense for Jinx to do this, but if she wasn't behind it, then who was?

* * *

"You said WHAT!?"

"I told you, I didn't tell her the details! She doesn't know it's you!"

"You promised me you wouldn't-

"That I wouldn't tell anyone without you, I know. But she caught me off guard!"

"That doesn't mean you had to tell her everything!"

"You're not listening! If I lied she'd be able to tell in an instant! This was the only way I could keep you a secret!"

Still at the park, Jinx had received a surprising call from her boyfriend. Apparently Raven had confronted him about his actions in the past few days, and he had more or less told her the truth. Naturally Jinx did not take the news well. She nearly let out another hex-blast, but her desire to stay hidden outweighed her anger.

However, as Beast Boy frantically tried to explain, she had begun to calm down. She knew what he meant about Raven; she was a living lie detector. It sounded like he managed to spin a half-true story from their relationship, even saying the girl he met was named Jess.

"Look I'm sorry. I promised I wouldn't say anything and I broke-

"No, you didn't." Jinx let out a long sigh. "You didn't actually tell her about us. As far as I'm concerned you've kept your promise." She heard nothing on the other line. "So now what?"

"Well Raven said she was going to ask Robin to double check the status of some other potential suspects. If we're lucky, someone might have escaped without us knowing."

"That doesn't sound very lucky to me."

"Well normally no, but… Oh you know what I meant." Another pause. "So uh… How are you? I know it hasn't been long since… You know, but-

"I'm fine, really… Just thinking a little. Still got some things I want to clear up in my head." She quickly changed the subject. "So did you find out what the patrol schedules are going to be?"

"Oh! Uh… Not yet. Robin hasn't told us yet. I'll let you know as soon as I can."

"I know you will. Talk to you soon, okay Logan?"

"…Yeah." She could tell he enjoyed being called that. Hanging up, she looked up at the sky.

"…Tomorrow."

She had cleared up a lot of her doubts and questions already, but she wanted to be sure her mind was ready. Assuming nothing crazy happened, she'd try to meet up with Logan tomorrow night.

Hey, she said she only needed a day or two.

* * *

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Robin sent Cyborg and Starfire on patrol for the night, which Beast Boy, as promised, promptly warned Jinx about. They had no luck finding her of course. Raven was also true to her word and didn't mention a word about her conversation with Beast Boy. As far as he could tell, she had completely bought it.

As for the secret couple, they both spent the day collecting their thoughts and better understanding their situation. By nightfall they had both cleared up any confusion in their heads, and both felt ready to move forward. Despite this, neither called the other; they both wanted to be sure the other was as ready as they were.

Robin had received updated statuses on several of the potential suspects. So far, they were all up to date. Jinx remained the only suspect aside from a new, unknown party. However, there were still some criminals left to check.

"That's all of them so far…" Robin said with a yawn as he finished updating the list, looking at the clock. It was 11:30 PM. "Maybe we'll get something tomorrow…"

He didn't know how right he was.

* * *

It was 12:30 AM. Jump City was fairly quiet, save for an occasional car. The streets were empty, the shops darkened and closed. The city was, for lack of a better word, asleep.

Save for one building.

In the old, abandoned factory, one could once again hear voices.

"Alright, we gotta talk about this." The human figure from before appeared to be in pajamas, apparently having been woken up. "How can I perform without my 8 hours, huh?" He was once again talking to the mirror in the room.

"Be silent." The object commanded. "Your mortal need for sleep is far less important than what I have to say."

"Yeah yeah… You finally find what you were looking for?"

"Precisely." In front of the mirror, a book sat. As the figure approached, it suddenly flew open to a specific page. "This is the spell we need."

"You can read this jibberish?"

"Of course I can. Now, the spell can free me from this prison, but it will require a great deal of preparation. We must first acquire a proper catalyst for the spell.

"What, my stuff not good enough?"

"Hardly. Do not forget how old this magic is." The mirror suddenly rippled. "I woke you because I have another task for you."

"Another show? A bit late, don't you think?" The figure yawned.

"Not tonight. You will need time to prepare for this one." The mirror stopped rippling, showing the image of a rather grandiose building.

"Hey, I know this place." The figure rubbed his chin. "Jump City Museum of History, right?"

"Indeed."

"This place has some pretty top notch security… What am I looking for?"

"This." As the mirror spoke, it rippled again. The image of the building was replaced with a carved stone rod housing a brilliant violet crystal.

"Faaaan-cy," the figure said with a whistle.

"The people believe it to just be a historical piece. They do not understand the power housed in those carvings…"

"Hm... This could be a big crowd. I'll need a little more time to prepare for the show."

"Do not delay. The longer we wait, the more we risk. I have no doubt those accursed Titans have already begun investigating your other 'performances'."

"Eh let 'em. Not like they'll ever suspect me," The figure yawned. "Can I go back to bed now?"

"Hmph. You humans and your feeble bodies… Very well. I will continue to study how the spell is prepared." With nothing more to say, the mirror returned to normal.

"This coming from the walking art project…"

"**What was that?**" The mirror began emitting an eerie glow, the voice growing much louder and deeper. "**Do not forget who you are speaking to, human.**"

"Lighten up pal, it's just a joke," the man said as he lied down in his bed. "Now let me sleep so I can do my job tomorrow." As the man fell asleep, the mirror quietly spoke to itself.

"**Soon I shall return to this world… And once I do, I can finally rid myself of my true prison.**"

* * *

**Looks like things are finally going to start happening! I know, I've delayed it too long. See you next time!**


	9. Revelations, Part 1

**What's this? A double feature? Yessir, while I was away I managed to get access to a computer, just without internet. I wasn't able to upload but I was sure able to write, and I feel you guys deserve 2 chapters after that wait.**

* * *

Robin was impressed.

It was early in the morning, about 8 AM. Though Jump City was just starting to "wake up", the Titans were already up and about for training. They had been given the previous day off due to recent events, but Robin wanted to make sure they were in top shape for whatever threat they may soon be facing. Cyborg was currently at a lifting machine, testing his limits as he often did. Raven was also doing strength training, though with her mind rather than her body as she mentally held a large metal block in the air. Starfire was currently at shooting practice, blasting at various fast-moving targets. Robin meanwhile was sparring.

And it was his opponent that he was impressed with.

It had been awhile since Beast Boy had caused this much trouble for Robin; his movements were much quicker than usual and tougher to react to. He had a much more focused look on his face as well.

'_I guess I have Cyborg to thank for that…'_

Robin threw out a punch, which Beast Boy easily avoided. He attempted to counter with a punch of his own, but Robin managed also dodged and, using his opponent's momentum, threw him to the ground.

"You've tried that too many times. You need to mix up your attack patterns." Beast Boy struggled to his feet as Robin lectured him on his fighting. "Predictability is-woah!" Robin was cut off by Beast Boy suddenly lunging at him with another punch. He barely managed to sidestep the attack, only to suddenly be knocked off his feet by a sweep kick.

"Sorry, what was that?" Beast Boy looked down at him with a smirk.

"Much better." Despite being interrupted, Robin couldn't help but smile. "I have to say I'm impressed, Beast Boy. You've improved drastically since our last session."

"Yeah well, you know. Cleared up a lot of crap up here," the green teen said as he pointed to his head. "Helps me focus."

Of course that was only half of it. Having a girlfriend had rekindled his fighting spirit; he could practically hear her cheering him on in his head.

"Glad to hear it." Robin got to his feet. "Well, that's enough for today." They had been going at it for about 30 minutes now and were both starting to tire.

"Cool. I'm gonna go make breakfast." Beast Boy had yet to eat and was quite hungry. As he left the gym, Cyborg got up from his machine and approached Robin."

"Looks like the little guy's got his head back in the game." The metallic man had been watching their fight. "Guess he really has gotten over her."

"It's not just that," Robin said, rubbing his chin. "There was something different about him today. I can't put my finger on it, but he had a sort of… Determination. Like he was fighting for something." He had learned a lot about reading opponents during fights over the years, and there was definitely something different about Beast Boy during that fight.

"You really think so? Like what?"

"Beats me. But as long as it's helping him focus on his work I'm not complaining."

"Speaking of which, you hear back about any more of the suspects?"

"Not yet. They've all been up to date so far though." Robin was of course referring to Raven's suggestion of double-checking the status of magic-users.

"Well, it was a slim chance at best. It's been a month after all." Cyborg had been about as skeptical as Robin about the idea.

"Well we should have the rest by the end of today."

"Good to know. So… You up for a few rounds?"

Robin smirked at his old friend, a fire in his eyes.

"Thought so."

As the two readied for a sparring session, Raven sighed. She had overheard their conversation, and had a pretty good idea of what was making Beast Boy act that way. But of course, she had promised not to tell.

Hopefully he'd tell them himself soon enough…

* * *

Beast Boy couldn't help but be proud of himself as he cooked up his "eggs". It was rare anyone impressed Robin, especially in a fight. Of course, he could tell Robin would have eventually gained the upper hand, but none of them could beat the Boy Wonder at hand to hand combat.

"All thanks to her," he said to himself as his meal sizzled. Again, Jinx was partially responsible for his improvement. He had to be strong for her, after all. She was like his personal mental cheerleader.

A not-so-innocent grin crept up on his face as he pictures her in a somewhat revealing cheerleader's outfit, pom-poms and all.

As the green chef poured his tofu eggs and bacon onto a plate, he pulled out his phone. He looked at it, contemplating calling her.

"…No, dude. She'll call when she's ready," he told himself, pocketing it. She was the one who suggested they take a short break, after all. He had spent the entire day yesterday "negotiating" with his more wild side, and felt more confident in his ability to keep it in check if things got all hot and steamy like they did yesterday morning. But Jinx probably needed a bit more time; this relationship was a big change for him, but an even bigger one for her.

"Hope she's doing alright…" he sighed as he took a bite of his breakfast.

* * *

The Titans weren't the only one hard at work that morning. It was about 9 when Jinx got back to her apartment, sweaty and panting. She was of course in disguise, though she was wearing a looser shirt and gym shorts. She had just returned from her morning run. She may not have been fighting crime anymore, but she was still determined to keep in shape. She had spent a lot of her life running after all.

Hopefully if things went well in the next few days, she wouldn't have to run anymore.

The tired girl stepped into her rather modest bathroom, turning on the shower. The water began to flow, though the pressure wasn't terribly high. Jinx felt it, frowning.

"Still broken…" The water was lukewarm at best, despite being turned to the hottest setting. It had been like this for a week or so. She had of course notified the landlord, but it didn't seem like he really cared. "Get what you pay for I suppose."

As she stepped into the questionable shower, she couldn't help but think of the showers at Titans Tower. She had stayed a few nights there in the past, not counting that time she, Gizmo, and Mammoth took over. They had been wonderful. The water could be set to just the right temperature, there was tons of room to stretch for a hot bath, the nozzle had all sorts of different settings… It was heaven compared to this.

"…Jesus, Jinx. You're romanticizing a damn bathroom."

She sighed, leaning against the shower wall. She had thought about the tower a lot yesterday. After considering the prospect of a long term relationship with Beast Boy, she realized just how badly she wanted to rejoin the Titans. She missed being the hero, being able to help and do good. She missed having people she could rely on, even if they didn't all fully trust her. But most of all she just wanted to finally start having a normal relationship again. Well, normal as one could be for people like her and Beast Boy anyways.

She wanted to be able to actually go OUT with him. Not just to some run-down diner. No, she wanted something more. Movies, concerts, dancing… Sure she could disguise herself, but it wasn't the same. She wanted to start living again. And maybe, just maybe, a small part of her wanted to rub in a certain someone's face.

But of course, that wasn't possible just yet.

She was ready to tell Beast Boy's team, and she was sure he was too. But until whoever was behind those robberies was caught they couldn't do it. The second that slimeball revealed his or herself…

Jinx pounded a fist in her hand, snarling.

Finishing her shower, the young soon-to-be-heroine put on her disguise again, now in normal clothes. She had decided to stay incognito even in her own room until this whole thing blew over. Better safe than sorry.

"I swear when this is over I am burning this thing," "Jess" growled, scratching her head. As she sat on the couch, a thought crossed her mind. She pulled out her phone, staring at it for several seconds. She planned to call Beast Boy today, she was certain of that. But when would be a good time? He could still be asleep, or doing important Titan stuff. Maybe he was still thinking.

After mulling it over for a few more seconds, she began to dial. What was the harm?

* * *

Beast Boy was just putting his dishes away when his phone began to buzz. He gasped, frantically reaching into his pocket to get it. He beamed when he saw who was calling.

"Hello?" He answered somewhat loudly, excitement in his voice.

"Logan?"

"Who else? What's up?"

"Oh, just came back from a run. How about you?"

"Training over here. Just taking a break for breakfast."

"Sounds fun. Hey listen, about yesterday… Remember how I said I just needed a day or two?"

"…Yeah…" Beast Boy grew a bit nervous. Was she saying she wanted to extend their break?

"Well turns out I guessed right… I'm feeling a bit more comfortable about everything now." Beast Boy's heart skipped a beat.

"Dude! I thought you were going in a completely different direction!" He cried.

"I know." He could practically feel her smirk. "But seriously… I think I've got everything I wanted to think about taken care of. How about you?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm all good." He paused. "So uh… I'm gonna be on patrol tonight starting at 6…"

"Is that so?"

"Where should I meet you?"

"Hm… How about Mick's at 6:30?"

"Sounds great!"

"See you then!" She hung up.

Beast Boy practically collapsed against the counter, overcome with joy. He hadn't expected to hear back so soon… She really did mean a day or two.

"…Who was that?"

Beast Boy nearly hit his head on the ceiling he jumped so high. Turning around, he completely froze up. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and all his hairs were now standing on end.

"…H-h-h-h-hey… Robin." He gave the meekest smile ever. "H-ho-how long have y-y-you…"

"Long enough." The leader's arms were crossed, a sterner look than usual on his face. "Now I'll ask again. Who. Was. That?"

"Uh… Ffff… Blaheug…" Beast Boy could literally not find words as he clumsily tried to think of something. "…My… GM?"

Robin's masked eyes narrowed. He pointed a finger at the couch nearby.

"Sit." The order was calm but cold. Beast Boy didn't dare protest, silently making his way to the couch and sitting. "I'll be right back. Don't. Move." He was trying his hardest to mask the anger.

Beast Boy hung his head as the caped Titan left for the gym.

* * *

Jinx was already at the mirror making sure nothing was out of place. She knew she had several hours, but she was already getting nervous again.

She felt her phone buzz. A text from Beast Boy.

"What does he…" He trailed off as she read the text. Her jaw dropped as she suddenly lost her grip on the phone. It fell to the floor, rolling off to the side a bit. The message was only 2 words long, but it was a powerful one.

"robin heard"

* * *

"…That's all of it, I swear."

Beast Boy looked at his teammates pleadingly, praying they would accept his story. Robin had returned shortly after leaving the room with the rest of the team and made him explain the mysterious phone call. Beast Boy barely had time to squeeze out a text to Jinx telling her what was happening.

He had given them the same explanation that he gave Raven, with all the vagueness and half-truths. Internally he was screaming at himself for not noticing Robin. Where were his acute senses then? Why didn't he smell or hear him in the room? Was he so distracted with the idea of continuing his relationship?

Right when he was bragging about how much she had helped him focus…

"So… Beast Boy now has a girlfriend as well?" Starfire asked innocently. "This is most wonderful news!"

"Well, um… I guess it ain't a bad thing." Cyborg was quite astonished at the revelation. "But dude, why didn't you say something?"

"I told you, I didn't want to get anyone involved until we had figured everything out-

"And have been jeopardizing the mission because of it," Robin finished for him. "You weren't looking for Jinx at all yesterday, were you?" Despite his calm composure, the Titans could practically feel the anger radiating from Robin. Beast Boy said nothing to this; he couldn't even look his leader in the eye. "I thought so." He turned, arms folded behind his back. "Well, I see no reason why you should go out tonight then."

"Wait, what?"

"Starfire will take your shift tonight. You will be staying here for the night, ,understood?"

"But I have to meet-

"Understood!?" Robin whipped around, a glare even his mentor would have admired on his face. Beast Boy seemed to shrink in its presence. The Boy Wonder took a breath, trying to relax. Cyborg reluctantly spoke up.

"Hey come on Robin, you should let him-

"And don't even think about bringing her here." It was like the others didn't exist.

"You can't be serious!" Beast Boy apparently found some of his courage and stood. "I have a right to see her!"

"You're responsibilities and duties to the team come before personal problems, Beast Boy," Robin said flatly. "I guess you're going to have to learn that."

"Robin…" He held up a hand to silence Starfire.

"This doesn't concern any of you." He didn't take his eyes of Beast Boy as he spoke.

It may have seemed like he was overreacting, but interfering with official Titans business was a sort of pet peeve of Robin's. To have one of his teammates be intentionally lying about his performance, to go behind his team's back during a mission like this, really set him off. He did feel somewhat sorry keeping the girl from him, but she would have to live with it.

"…You're just like him," Beast Boy said softly.

"What was that?" Robin was in no mood for Beast Boy's backtalk. "Just like who now?"

"Mento," Beast Boy said with a glare almost as potent as Robin's. Robin knew from meeting the man that that was not a compliment. He decided not to dignify it with a response.

"You will remain here until we have solved this case. And once it's done you will bring her here." Robin wanted to see this mysterious Jess for himself.

"Wait, this whole time!?"

"Until we need you in the field." He wasn't about to leave him here if they needed to fight someone.

"But-

Robin's communicator went off, interrupting the argument.

"…This isn't over," the leader said as he answered. "This is Robin."

"Robin? Kid Flash here. Got a few more updates for you." Robin paused, thinking for a moment. He looked at Cyborg.

"Watch him. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere," he ordered, pointing at Beast Boy. "The rest of you are dismissed." Nobody said a word as he left.

"…Jesus…" Cyborg muttered. Starfire looked at Beast Boy with sorrow. Raven was simply looking down.

"I am sorry, Beast Boy… I will go try to talk to him," Starfire said with a small smile.

"Hmph. Good luck with that." He doubted it would help. Either way, she left the room. Raven suddenly disappeared through the floor after this. It was hard to say what she was feeling.

Cyborg stood silently, staring at his teammate.

"Sorry about this, man," he said as he sat next to him.

"Hey, orders are orders," Beast Boy was slumped against the couch. "I better tell her I gotta cancel tonight…" He pulled out his phone. "At least before Robin takes this."

"…Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Cyborg smiled at this. At least he could still joke.

"…This girl. How bad do you care about her?"

"You have no idea. She's really helped me get my life back on track after Terra." He paused. "When we were together yesterday, I just felt… God, I can't even describe it." Cyborg could see the sincerity in his small teammate's eyes. He shook his head.

"Sappy... But it sounds like she means something to you, and I ain't about to let you go back to being all gloom and doom." Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you got a girl to go see. I'll just tell Robin you overpowered me or something." He winked his human eye. It took a second for Beast Boy to realize what he just said.

"…Dude. I owe you SO much," he said, getting up.

"Don't mention it." He held out a fist, which Beast Boy pounded. "Just looking out for my little bro." The changeling bolted from the room, eager to get out before Robin returned. He left his communicator behind to avoid being tracked. Cyborg watched him leave, grinning.

"She must be something…" He stood, readying himself. He suddenly started sprinting to Robin's room, fake surprise in his voice. "Robin, we got a problem!"

* * *

Jinx was pacing her room nervously. Robin heard their conversation? Did he know it was her? What was going to happen to Beast Boy?

"Damn it…" She felt so helpless. She stopped her pacing when she felt her phone vibrate. She wasted no time answering it. "Logan!?"

"Hey, change of plans… I'm coming over right now."

"You're what? What the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain when I get there."

"Logan, tell me-

She heard him hang up, and tossed the phone onto the couch in frustration. What the hell was happening?

"…Wait, he's coming now!?"

She frantically ran to the bathroom to ready herself.

* * *

"Is everything ready?"

"Got spells prepared, floor plans memorized… I think it's time to start the show."

The two voices at the abandoned factory were speaking again.

"Good. Now remember the plan. We want to draw the Titans off the trail. According to news reports, they are aware of the missing book."

"Right, that old lady at the shop apparently shook the memory spell off a bit."

"Unfortunately."

"Well, I'll give them something else to worry about…"

"Yes, feel free to… "perform"… as you see fit."

"Music to my ears!" The man clapped. "Now then, I bid you adieu."

He bowed before suddenly disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Beast Boy didn't even get a chance to knock before Jinx opened the door.

"Jinx!"

"Logan!"

The lovebirds embraced each other and shared a quick kiss. It had felt like far more than a day for both of them. However, there was also an important matter to discuss; the second they finished, Jinx practically pulled him inside, locking the door behind them. She crossed her arms.

"Alright, start talking." She demanded. "What do you mean 'Robin heard'? Why did you come here so suddenly?" Beast Boy sighed, trying to find words.

"Well, after you called…"

* * *

"He WHAT!?"

"I couldn't stop him. He was flying out the second you all left."

"Damnit Cyborg…" Robin growled as he clenched his hand around Beast Boy's communicator. "We'll go after him in a minute… Kid Flash, where are you?"

"Heading down to his cell now." The speedy teen had apparently discovered something strange about one of the criminals they were checking up on. The guards at the prison said they had been acting a bit odd for a few weeks.

"Alright, report back when you find something," Robin spoke into his communicator before looking at his teammates. Starfire had followed him to his room to try to convince him to let Beast Boy go tonight, and Cyborg had just entered exclaiming that Beast Boy had gotten out. "Alright, we're going to get out there and find-

The 3 of them jumped in surprise as a loud alarm cut him off.

"The hell!?" Cyborg yelled over the blaring sirens. Robin was already back on his computer, typing at an almost inhuman pace.

"Someone's called in an incident at the Museum of History." He brought up the report, eyes darting back and forth as he read. "Let's see… Bright lights, energy blasts, objects suddenly appearing and disappearing…"

"You think it's our perp?"

"It sure looks like magic, so probably. But this couldn't possibly be Jinx, it sounds more like … Oh no."

"What is it?" Starfire asked. Robin ignored her as he pulled out his communicator, a worried look on his face. "Kid Flash, report! Have you found anything?" There was a brief delay on the response.

"Uh… Robin? I think we have a problem."

* * *

_**Just moments ago…**_

"Just down this hall. Last cell on the right."

Kid Flash was currently being escorted by a guard in a large prison. He had come here to double check one of the inmates. The guards said he was there, but apparently he had been acting strange for a little while.

Something smelled fishy.

"Right here." The pair stopped in front of the cell, where an old man sat reading with his back turned. A large stack of books was on the table.

"This is all you seen him do?"

"Basically. Occasionally the books change, but that's about it."

"And you didn't think to call this in?" The speedster was clearly a bit frustrated with the guard.

"Well I didn't think anything was wrong with it! He still speaks, and the food we bring him seems to be getting eaten."

"Open the cell."

"Now hold on-

"Open the cell!"

The guard silently complied, unlocking the door and sliding it open. The prisoner didn't react.

"Hey, Houdini!" Kid Flash entered the cell. Still no response. "I'm talking to you!"

"Scram, kid," the man still didn't turn. "I don't do autographs."

"Oh, you'll wish you hadn't said that…" He grabbed the man's shoulder.

As he did, the man suddenly exploded into a flock of white doves.

"Woah!" Both he and the guard ducked as the horde of birds scrambled out the cell, frantically trying to escape. "What just happened!"

"…An illusion…" Kid Flash stared at where the man had once been. "This whole time…"

"Kid Flash, report! Have you found anything?" Robin's voice suddenly rang out from his communicator. After a moment's hesitation, Wally brought the communicator to his face.

"Uh… Robin? I think we have a problem." He paused. "It's…

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

Several windows in the museum lobby exploded, some unseen force shattering them. What seemed like fireworks were going off, raining sparks down. A crowd of people was scrambling for the exit, screaming as lights also began to crack and break around them.

"Boys and girls!"

A single man was standing atop a stage that had somehow appeared in the middle of the lobby, his voice booming through an invisible speaker system over the destruction. He was very well dressed, with a caped tuxedo and top hat.

"Presenting for one day only!"

His hair was white, his eyes covered by a mask. He held a thin object in his hand, which he waved about as he continued his speech.

"The magnificent magician, the illustrious illusionist, …"

A spotlight suddenly appeared on him, showing his skin was bright blue.

"**The Amazing Mumboooooo!"**

* * *

…**A double feature that ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. Yep, a bit evil I know. Lots of transitions in this one, so apologies if it got a bit confusing towards the end. Also sorry if this was a bit short, but I couldn't think of anything else to add before part 2. See you next time!**


	10. Revelations, Part 2

**I can't just leave something like that hanging for long! On with the story.**

* * *

Beast Boy's eyes moved side to side as he watched Jinx. He was sitting on her couch, having just finished explaining the unfortunate turn of events that had occurred at the tower. The hexer was currently pacing back and forth in front of him at a rather quick pace, trying to fully comprehend the situation. To say she looked upset was quite the understatement.

"I know, I should have noticed him there. I just don't know why-

"Logan, please." Jinx held a hand up to quiet him. "I'm not blaming you for anything. Robin happened to walk in at a bad time." Jinx saw no reason to be mad with the shapeshifter. Besides, there were more important things to worry about. "So… You told them the same story?"

"More or less. They still don't know it's you. Doubt that will last much longer though…" Beast Boy slumped a bit, sighing. "They're probably looking for me right now. left my communicator, but I can't help but feel they'll find a way to track me down."

"You think so?"

"Probably." He stood. "If you want me to go so they don't find you…"

"No. You're staying right here." Jinx stopped pacing, a determined look on her face. "Let them come."

"Seriously!?" Beast Boy cried. "But who knows what they'll do with you?"

"I don't care!" She suddenly threw off her wig, her voice rising. "I'm just so SICK of hiding!" She began moving back and forth, wildly flailing her arms as she ranted. "I've been sneaking around for so damn long. Oh sure, I got this stupid disguise but it's not like I can really DO anything! I don't have money, family, friends…" She paused. "And I can't even spend time with the one person who actually gives a damn about me because some asshole has put me on top of the Titans' most wanted list for no damn reason!"

"Jinx…"

"So let them find me! I don't give a shit anymore what happens. Maybe we'll convince them I'm innocent… At least mostly. Or maybe they won't buy it and I'll get locked up until they realize they have the wrong person! Maybe I get to join the Titans again, maybe not. Who knows?" She threw her arms up. "I'm just DONE with it all!"

This was certainly not the reaction Beast Boy was expecting. It sounded like this was something that had been bothering her for a little while, and she was finally letting it out. He wasn't too sure what to say. But he knew he had to do something.

"I…" He walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Before he could say anything else, she suddenly embraced him, burying her head in his shoulder. Beast Boy gingerly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"I don't care what they do," she repeated. "Because I know no matter what happens…" She pulled away a bit, now looking up at him with much softer eyes. "…You'll still be by side, won't you?"

Beast Boy felt his heart melt at these words. She really had that much trust in him? They had been together for such a short time, yet she had so much faith in him. He could see just by looking into her eyes how much he meant to her.

And of course, those feelings were all mutual. Her trust was well placed.

"Oh, Jinx…!" He pulled her in again, feeling her grip tighten. "Of course I will." She nuzzled him as they now rocked back and forth a bit. Neither said anything; neither needed to. Their embrace felt more fulfilling and meaningful than previous ones; it seemed their brief time away had only strengthened their feelings for one another. The novel, superficial excitement of being in a new relationship had worn off, letting more powerful emotions take over. While it was obviously far too early to call it love, they were starting to form a bond stronger than most couples their age did.

Forgetting all their troubles for the moment, the two continued to hold each other in silence.

* * *

"Thank you… Thank you… And thank you!"

Mumbo hummed a cheery tune to himself as he walked through the museum hall, occasionally stopping to put a valuable-looking item into a small bag. Mysteriously, no matter how many object were put inside, the bag didn't seem to show any signs of being filled. Stranger still, it was somehow able to hold thing several times the size of it.

"Ah, there you are," He said with a grin as he approached a case holding a decorative rod. It was the same rod that the mirror had shown him. Pulling out his wand, he tapped on the glass case 3 times. There was a flash of light, and the case was suddenly gone. The magician casually grabbed his prize, putting it carefully in the bag. With another wave of his wand, the case suddenly reappeared, completely unharmed. Satisfied, he turned to leave.

There wasn't another conscious person in the museum. Any guards that had tried to impede Mumbo's progress had found themselves getting subdued one way or another. They had hardly posed a threat to the villain. The civilians, meanwhile, had all fled from the scene. He had been "browsing" the museum halls for about 20 minutes now.

As he approached the exit, he could already hear the sirens outside. Smirking, he pulled off his hat as several police officers began storming through the doors.

"Hands up!" One of them shouted as they trained their guns on him. He seemed to not notice them as he reached into his hat.

"It's in here somewhere…"

"I said hands up!"

"Ah, there it is!" He exclaimed as he pulled out a large black circle. He dropped it on the ground.

"This is your last warning!" Mumbo put his hat back on.

"Sorry kids, you'll have to catch the next show!" He tipped his hat to them before stepping back onto the circle…

…And fell through it as if it were a hole.

"What the hell!? After him!" The officers ran over to the hole, determined to follow. However, the circle was no longer a hole; it was just a black paper circle sitting on the floor.

* * *

The Titans had wasted no time getting to the museum. Unfortunately, it was extremely far from the tower and took about 30 minutes to get to. Robin and Cyborg were in their respective vehicles while Starfire and Raven flew. They hadn't bothered to look for Beast Boy; there was no time.

"But how could he have kept that up for so long? Doesn't he need his wand?" Cyborg was still trying to accept that Mumbo was the one behind everything.

"Perhaps he is being helped?" Starfire suggested.

"Look, it doesn't matter right now. We need to worry about stopping him before he gets away," Robin said. "We'll figure out the rest later."

The museum came into view as he finished speaking. The place was already surrounded with police cars, with a crowd of civilians being held off by officers. Robin got off his bike and approached.

"Thank god you're here!" One of the officers greeted the young hero. "We've got a real situation in there."

"Is he still inside the museum?" Robin asked.

"Well… We don't really know," the cop admitted. "We had him cornered, but then he pulled out this weird circle and… Jumped into it." Robin raised an eyebrow. "I know it sounds ridiculous but-

"No, that sounds like Mumbo…" He pulled out his communicator. "Raven, come in. I need you to-

"Way ahead of you. I've got something, but it's not coming from the museum."

"Where?"

"He's moving west, about a mile from here."

"Perfect…" Robin muttered. "Everyone hear that? Start heading west. "He turned to the officer.

"You going after that lunatic?" Robin nodded. "Good, we'll get the situation under control here. There may be injured civilians in there." Someone like Mumbo was obviously a bit out of the police force's league.

Wasting no time, Robin and the rest of the team began heading to where Raven had said.

* * *

About a mile away from the commotion at the museum, a construction site stood. Nobody seemed to be around at the moment, but there were a few vehicles, piles of building materials, and scaffolding for a large building. There was also a manhole cover on the site.

Said cover was currently being moved.

"Houdini, eat your heart out," A man said with laughed as he climbed out of the hole. Mumbo stretched, dusting himself off. His magical hole had dropped him into the sewer system below the museum, which he simply followed to an exit. Confident that he was far enough away from the law enforcement, he took a look at his surroundings. "Coast looks clear. Now to get back to… Oh."

He frowned as his eyes finally found the four figures standing nearby.

"Show's over, Mumbo," Robin said, arms folded. He was flanked by the rest of his team, save for one. Mumbo seemed to pick up on this.

"Let's see, three, four… Aren't we missing someone here?" He didn't seem particularly phased about the fact that he had been found. "Where's the little guy?"

"So you're the one behind all those robberies then?" They ignored his remark about Beast Boy's absence.

"Sheesh, fine. Don't answer me then." He grinned. "And I have no idea what you're talking about. _I've_ been locked up this whole time."

"We found out about your little spell."

"Haha! Give the kid a prize!" The blue-skinned man laughed as he clapped. "I still can't believe you all fell for that for so long! I mean, sure the spell was good, but come ON!" Robin grit his teeth, his patience wearing thin. "Oh… But yeah I've been putting on a few performances here and there," he admitted. "What are you going to do about it?"

"How many times have we kicked your blue butt before?" Cyborg asked as they got into fighting positions. "Hell, you couldn't even beat us in your hat-world."

"Ah, true… But see, I've been practicing my act, and I've picked up a few-MUMBO JUMBO!" Hoping to catch his enemies off guard, Mumbo suddenly launched 4 white blasts of energy from his wand. His plan worked, as all 4 Titans were knocked back by the blasts. "You should really pay more attention, you know." The attack didn't seem to do much, as the heroes were back on their feet and moving to attack. Mumbo had to move quickly to avoid a flurry of starbolts, birdarangs, sonic cannon blasts, and levitating objects. His body defied physics as he bent and stretched in ways no human should be able to.

"I always hated fighting this guy," Cyborg muttered as their attacks continuously missed the laughing villain.

"Not enjoying the show?" Mumbo mocked, pulling off his hat. Cyborg growled, firing another blast from his cannon. "Well how about this?" He turned the hat so that the bottom was facing the Titans, and held it out towards the blast.

"What the heck is he...?" Cyborg trailed off as the hat sucked in the cannon shot. Mumbo grinned as he actually cocked the hat like a gun. "Uh oh."

"Abra…" The inside of the hat began to glow.

"Titans, move!"

"KA-BOOM!" The hat fired a massive blue-white beam several times larger than Cyborg's cannon. The Titans scattered as it shot, barely avoiding the attack. "AHAHAHAHA!" Mumbo's crazed laughter could barely be heard over the roar of the hat-laser.

"Since when could he do THAT!?" Cyborg cried.

"I told you I've been practicing my act, didn't I?" Mumbo said, firing another shot at Cyborg. "Now hold still and-Ow!" His hat was knocked from his hands by a green blast of energy. He had been so busy gloating he hadn't noticed Starfire on his flank. "People please, one at a time!" He cried, waving his wand. A translucent block appeared in front of him, blocking the next wave of starbolts. With another wave, the block suddenly shot forward, slamming into Starfire. As it hit her, it began to bend around her.

"Starfire!" Robin cried, running at her. However, he could do nothing as the construct formed a sphere around the Tamaranian, trapping her. Mumbo didn't have time to mock her, however, as the other Titans quickly went back on the attack. Cyborg decided not to try more cannon blasts, opting instead for melee. The other 2 continued to assault with ranged attacks, giving Mumbo a difficult time with their metallic teammate.

"Booyah!" Cyborg cheered as he finally landed a solid hit on the slippery magician, knocking him off his feet. Mumbo recovered almost immediately, however. He rubbed his chin.

"Hey, not bad kid." To Cyborg's shock, the punch barely seemed to affect him. "But you'll have to do better than that."

"Oh, I'll show you-huh?" He hadn't noticed Mumbo wave his wand while he talked, and Cyborg found himself stuck to what appeared to be a gigantic magnet that had been conjured behind him. "How in the-

"Hey, you know the drill. Good magicians don't reveal their secrets," Mumbo tipped his hat before springing away from more attacks from the others.

"Hold on Cyborg, we'll get you and Starfire-What!?" Robin barely had time to speak before a giant bird cage materialized around him.

"Robin!" Raven's eyes glowed as she held her arms up. "Azarath metrion zin…Mmph!" She was unable to finish her incantation as she felt something cover her mouth. Reaching up to feel it, she realized it was tape. She pulled at it, but could tell that it was being held by powerful magic.

She didn't understand. Mumbo was never this powerful. What had happened since they last fought? Had it really just been "practice", as he called it? The magical energies from his attacks felt very different.

"Take my advice, kid: Less syllables. Like this… Mumbo Jumbo!" He pointed his wand at her, and she found herself trapped in a cage just like Robin. It obviously wasn't a normal cage; a magical force field surrounded both her and Robin's prisons. Mumbo just went with the bird theme as a joke.

She looked around. Starfire had exhausted herself trying to break out of the strange sphere that had trapped her, and Cyborg wasn't able to move.

"So now what? You gonna put us back in your crazy hat-world again?" Cyborg asked.

"Sorry, no backstage trips today." Mumbo took a moment to admire his work. That guy had really come through for him. "I think I'll just close the curtain here… Starting with you." Mumbo's voice became a bit more sinister as he turned to Raven. "The one who ruined my last big show…" He was of course referring to the time the Titans had been sucked into his hat and turned into animals, or in Beast Boy's case, a lamp. The "hat-world" Cyborg mentioned. Raven had orchestrated the plan to defeat him and escape, and he hadn't forgotten that. She said nothing in response, as her mouth was still covered. He lifted the wand above his head, concentrating. "Mumbo…"

Raven shut her eyes. Nobody noticed the pink blast that flew from the shadows at the wand.

"JUMBO!" Mumbo vigorously pointed the wand at her, intending to fire a lethal spell at her. However, nothing seemed to happen. Raven was half-expecting something to come up from under her, or for the cage to implode or something. But when Mumbo suddenly looked at his wand in frustration, she realized that something went wrong. "Hey, what's the matter with you!?" He shouted at his wand. "I said Mumbo Jumbo, so-AH!" The wand seemed to respond to that incantation, as it fired another magical blast in Mumbo's face, knocking him over. "Ooow…"

"Oooh, that had to hurt."

Everyone turned as a new voice spoke up. The 4 trapped Titans' eyes widened at the sight of the figure standing before them.

"Well it's about time!" Cyborg cried. Robin said nothing, his face blank. Raven was obviously silent. Starfire was overjoyed.

"Beast Boy!"

* * *

_**Earlier…**_

Beast Boy and Jinx finally separated after about 10 minutes. Neither had said anything during that time, simply enjoying each other's warmth. But the reality of their situation was sinking in again, and they needed to focus.

"So, um…" Jinx recomposed herself. "Now what?" Beast Boy shrugged.

"I guess we should just go to the tower at this point. I'd rather we tell them ourselves, you know?"

"…Yeah, that's what I was thinking. But they're probably not there right now," she said, reminding him that they were probably looking for him.

"True." Beast Boy sat back down on the couch, thinking.

"Well we can decide in a bit. One way or another they're finding out today." Jinx walked to her room as she spoke. "I'm gonna go change… No need to be wearing this anymore." She had thrown off the wig, but she wanted to put her normal outfit on. Beast Boy decided to turn on the TV for some background noise as he collected his thoughts. He and Jinx had accepted that the secret was out, but he'd want the team finding out the whole truth on his terms if possible.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he realized what was on the screen.

"…Thankfully, no civilian casualties have been noted as of yet." The reporter on screen was in the middle of a news piece about some sort of incident downtown. Beast Boy leaned forward as he read the headline.

"Mysterious Break-in at History Museum!"

He sat up. Could it be what he thought it was?

"We have confirmation that the Teen Titans are on their way to the scene. As far as we know, the thief is still inside the museum," she continued.

"…Jiiiiinx!" He called.

"I'm right here." He turned his head to find that she was standing above him behind the couch, back in her usual attire. She was staring intently at the screen. One question was on both of their minds: Who was it?

They were about to get their answer.

"Yes… I have just received confirmation that the one responsible for the attack is none other than the infamous supervillain Mumbo." A picture of the man appeared on screen as she spoke.

"…No way." Beast Boy's arms went limp as his jaw dropped.

"Seriously? Mumbo!?" Jinx cried, anger in her voice. "Of all the low-life, no good, rotten…"

"Yeah, I can't stand the guy either," Beast Boy said, turning off the TV and standing. "Well, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Damn straight." Jinx was raring to go. "I've been waiting for this."

"I'll fly us there. I should be able to find them pretty easily." Beast Boy's heightened senses would make tracking Mumbo and his team trivial.

"Wait, fly US? Oh no, you don't mean…" Beast Boy was already heading for the door as she spoke.

"It's not that bad, just hold on tight!" He exclaimed as he opened the door and practically leapt outside. Once he was in the open, he quickly morphed into an enormous pterosaur. Jinx followed, hesitating as he motioned for her to get on.

"Are you sure about this?" She was not entirely comfortable with riding a flying dinosaur bare-back. He simply nodded. She sighed, and reluctantly climbed onto his back. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "No flips or rolls, or Mumbo will be the least of your problems," she threatened. The giant reptile gave out a call that almost resembled laughter before taking off. He made sure to be as gentle as possible, though Jinx still found herself yelping in fear as they rose into the air. She could've sworn she saw Beast Boy smile when she did. "Ha-ha." She rolled her eyes. She would have hit him but she was too frightened to move anything.

It didn't take long for them to reach the museum. The two landed nearby as Beast Boy morphed back. Jinx was a bit shaky as she got off him.

"See? That wasn't so bad was it?" Beast Boy asked with a grin. An elbow to his side shut him up.

"Bring a saddle next time," she said, crossing her arms.

"Hey, I went as steady as I could. Now then…" Beast Boy morphed into a bloodhound, sniffing around. His eyes narrowed a bit as he morphed back. "Hm… They were here, but they moved on." He pointed west. "There."

"Lead the way." Beast Boy could tell Jinx wouldn't want to fly anymore, so he morphed back into a dog and began to follow the scent trail. Jinx hurried behind him. After about 10 minutes of running, they stopped as Beast Boy changed back.

"The trail ends over there," he pointed to a construction site in the distance.

"Do you really think they're-AH!" Jinx leapt back in surprise as a massive beam of energy shot out from the site. "…Nevermind." She looked around, seeing an easily climbable building nearby. "We can get a better look up there, come on!" She ran to it and began quickly climbing various ledges and outcroppings, showing off her physical abilities. Beast Boy opted to simply fly to the top. They both took a moment to survey the fight as they got to the roof. Starfire seemed to be trapped in a sphere of some sort, while Cyborg was being stuck to a giant magnet or something.

"Jesus…" Jinx whispered. "Doesn't look like they're doing so well."

"Yeah… Any ideas?" They watched for a few more seconds. Jinx took note of his wand as Robin was suddenly trapped in a large cage.

"Hm… I think so. That wand is the source of his power, right?"

"Yeah, he uses it to channel all his magic. Without it he's powerless."

"Thought so. I should be able to 'disrupt' it with a hex.

"Hm…" Beast Boy thought. It sounded reasonable enough; her hex magic could probably cause plenty of problems. As he pondered what to do, they noticed Raven also get put in a cage.

"Alright, time's up. We need to act now." Beast Boy nodded.

"Okay, here's the plan…"

* * *

"Beast Boy!" Starfire happily exclaimed. The fifth Teen Titan had entered the scene, standing at the entrance of the site with his hands on his hips. He appeared quite confident.

"Sorry I'm late, I had some errands to run." He looked at Robin, who was still staring at him blankly. "Look, we'll talk after, I promise." He returned his attention to Mumbo, who was getting back on his feet. The supervillain glared his newest opponent, his usual carefree demeanor gone.

"Why you little…" He pointed his wand at the shapeshifter. Beast Boy didn't seem afraid as he started walking towards Mumbo. "Alakazam!" The wand almost coughed in response, a tiny bit of glitter-like powder flying out. Mumbo growled, shaking the wand a bit. "Come ON!"

He didn't notice the green ram charging at him.

"Aaaaah!" He cried out as Beast Boy impacted, sending him flying. Whether it was because of his loss of concentration or his wand's apparent malfunction, the objects holding the other 4 Titans all vanished in puffs of smoke.

"Gonna feel that in the morning…" Mumbo sat up, rubbing his head painfully. He stared at his wand, which was still sparking and sputtering, indicating it wasn't going to work. "What the hell is going on?" He looked up, and his face fell. "Uh oh."

All 5 Teen Titans stood over him. Cyborg's cannon was out and aimed, Starfire had starbolts charged and ready as her eyes glowed, Raven floated with a menacing aura, and Beast Boy was now morphed into a large gorilla. Robin stood in front of them all, arms folded like they were when he first arrived.

"Uh… Mumbo Jumbo?" Mumbo timidly held out his wand, which of course did nothing in response to his incantation.

"Guess you need more practice," Robin said. He pulled out a pair of cuffs from his utility belt. "You're through, Mumbo." He reached out to grab the villain. However, as he did, a bright light suddenly errupted from the wand. It enveloped Mumbo, blinding the Titans. It only lasted a few seconds, but when the Titans could see again Mumbo had completely vanished. They looked around before realizing what just happened.

"DAMN IT!" Robin screamed, kicking a small rock.

"Guess he still had one good spell in him," Cyborg said with a shrug.

"Spread out!" Robin barked. "He couldn't have gone far, we can still catch him if we-

"Robin." Raven cut him off. "There's no point. I don't sense him anywhere." She paused. "That was a teleportation spell. He's gone."

"Augh!" The leader let out a frustrated yell as he threw his arms out, walking a few steps away from the group. He turned to look at Beast Boy. "You," he said, walking up to him. Beast Boy held up his hands.

"Yeah yeah I know. Look, can you just give me a second to explain?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Robin said sarcastically, a rarity for him. "But first I want to know just how you managed to do that to Mumbo?"

"Do what?" Beast Boy feigned ignorance.

"His magic didn't stop working until you got here. And you knew it wasn't working too!" He exclaimed. "The way you walked up to him as he tried to attack…"

"Yeah, what gives B? Since when did you know magic?" Cyborg asked.

"Hey come on, you know I can't do that."

"Then how did you know!?" Robin demanded, losing his patience.

"Must have just been a lucky guess," A new voice said. Everyone but Beast Boy frantically looked around before noticing the grinning young girl sitting on one of the vehicles in the lot. They immediately recognized the pink, horn-like hair.

"Jinx!" Robin pulled out a birdarang and readied himself.

"Woah woah woah, easy!" Beast Boy quickly grabbed the birdarang, lowering Robin's arm. "I told you I can explain."

"Explain _what_?" Robin glared at him, not appreciating his teammate grabbing his arm. Beast Boy walked out in front of his teammates as Jinx got off the car and walked over to him. "Beast Boy, what are you…"

"So… 'Jess', huh?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow. She had already figured it out.

No wonder she felt something strange when he said that name…

"Wait a sec," Cyborg was starting to piece it together. "…Ooooooh boy." He held a hand over his mouth.

"What?" Robin, on the other hand, was a bit oblivious.

"Heh…" Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck, grinning with a blush. "Yeah, sorry about that… I couldn't exactly say who it was given the circumstances."

"Say who… Wait, Jess? But she's…" He couldn't seem to comprehend the idea of Jinx and Beast Boy being together.

"Does he seriously not get it?" Jinx whispered, trying not to laugh. Starfire remained silent; of course, she had figured it out as well, but she was so happy for the two of them that she couldn't speak. She simply stared with big, joyful eyes. Robin finally was starting to understand.

"Wait, are you telling me Jess is actually…" Beast Boy grabbed Jinx's hand, pulling her close.

"Hey, you said you wanted to meet my girlfriend didn't you?"

* * *

**Well the cat's finally out of the bag! What will happen next? Find out soon!**


	11. Tests and Questions

**Gather 'round, it's time for another chapter.**

* * *

Jinx yawned, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head as the door was shut. The small metal folding chair she was in was rather uncomfortable, but it wasn't like she had much choice. Her vibrant pink eyes watched Robin as he slowly moved back and forth in front of her, a small table between the two of them. They were the only ones in the small, poorly-lit room. She took her eyes off of the Boy Wonder for a second, looking at the large mirror behind him. She knew it was one-way and that the others were likely watching. Not that she cared of course.

Robin's footsteps were the only sound in the room at the moment. She could tell from his face he was rather agitated, something she was proud to be responsible for. Of course, he always seemed to look angry so maybe that was just normal for him.

She shifted her body slightly, trying to get into a more comfortable position. The chair creaked a bit in response, which caused Robin to stop and look at her.

"What?" She asked. "Not my fault this chair sucks." He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, turning away again. "What, can't find the words to tell me how beautiful I am?" She didn't flinch when Robin whipped around and slammed his hands on the table, glaring at her. "Ooooh, scary." She smirked as the masked boy gave her a hard look for several seconds. She looked back, her gaze never faltering.

"I'll ask again." Despite his obvious irritation, Robin's voice was still rather calm. "What have you been up to all this time?"

"And I'll tell you again: Surviving," she answered. "Got myself a little place for dirt cheap after I left."

"And what does 'surviving' mean, exactly?" Robin leaned closer as he spoke.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jinx said coyly. Robin's eyes narrowed. "Look, I know what you're asking." She moved her hands from behind her head, shrugging. "And maybe I did some bad stuff, maybe I didn't. Not like you could prove it if I did." She had to hold back a giggle as Robin growled. She knew pushing his buttons like this was a bad idea, but it was just too much fun.

Robin had asked her these sorts of things a few times now, and she was intent on making it difficult for him. It was her life, and he had no right asking about it.

"You could have contacted us, you know," Robin said after a few seconds. He seemed to finally have given up on that line of questioning. For now at least. "I understand something happened between you and Kid Flash, but that doesn't mean you had to-

"Quit? What else was I supposed to do?" Jinx sat up. "I don't think you understand; he was the whole reason I even joined this stupid team," Robin had struck a nerve. "It's not like anyone else wanted me here."

"What are you saying? You'd been a trusted member of this team for months!"

"Oh sure. I guess I was just imagining all that whispering behind my back, all those looks I'd get." She scoffed. "I seem to remember your constant questions when I first tried to join."

"That was different. I had to make sure you were serious," Robin explained. "For someone we'd fought for year suddenly wanting to join the Titans…" Robin stopped himself.

"So you didn't trust me." Robin looked away slightly. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"It was a mistake and I apologize." Robin sighed, a hint of regret in his voice. "It's a bad habit from my old mentor."

"So I've heard." Robin looked back at her.

"But that doesn't change the fact that it was your decision to run." His voice had returned to normal. "I understand if you had been gone for a few days, but a month…"

"What's your point? As far as I could tell you hadn't really been looking for me until my name came up in this case. You didn't seem too concerned with finding me."

"I thought you would come to us." Robin slowly spoke, raising his arms defensively. "I figured it was your decision to return or not."

"Yeah yeah," Jinx's tone said she didn't believe him. "You were pretty adamant about suspecting me…"

"I told you, you were the only one who matched up. We had no idea Mumbo was really…"

"Spare me. Look, I get if you don't really trust me. I really do. How long did we fight again?" She slumped back in her chair. "Hell, from what Logan told me there was a time you didn't trust any of your team. The 'Red X incident' he called it…"

"He told you what!?" Robin's mask-eyes widened a bit. This was of course the first Red X incident where it was Robin behind the mask. That was a dark time for him, when his obsession with Slade had nearly consumed his life. It was one of the moments he regretted most during his time with the Titans.

And while he had kept that hologram he had used to make sure he never forgot that time, he didn't exactly like people bringing it up.

"Yeah, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." She could tell mentioning that had struck something in him. Beast Boy said he hated talking about it.

Something told her those two were going to have a long talk soon.

"I…"

"Alright look, I can tell that's a touchy subject for you so let's cut to the chase." Jinx leaned forward, folding her hands together. "You may not trust me, but Logan sure does. And like it or not, we're together now." Based on Robin's initial reaction to their big reveal, he wasn't totally on board with the idea. "And being with him these past couple days made me realize I missed this old song and dance." Robin looked at her with surprise.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yep. I want to rejoin the team."

"Oh. Um, well." Robin was at a loss for words, for once. "…And I would assume you'd want to move in."

"Yep." She repeated. "I don't exactly plan on moving back in with Wally." Robin was now pacing the room again, thinking.

"Was this Beast Boy's idea?"

"Well, he mentioned it once or twice, but no not really. Though he was thrilled when I told him." She grinned. "I mean, you've got a spare room don't you?"

"…Yes, I suppose so." Terra's old room was still vacant, of course. Robin shouldn't have been as surprised as he was about Jinx coming back. She was admittedly right about him not fully trusting her, as he had a feeling her past month wasn't exactly crime-free, but he should have expected this as soon as Beast Boy announced their relationship. He took several more seconds to think.

"Well? What do you say?"

"…Answer me one thing." Robin turned. "Now I understand you may not like the idea, but I need to know how serious you are."

"Oh, this again eh?" Jinx sighed.

"Relax, I only have one question." Robin paused. "Say you and Beast Boy end your relationship. Will you leave again?" Jinx finally faltered a bit, looking away. She half-expected that question, but it wasn't any easier to hear. "I can't let you back on the team if this is just because of him. I need to know that it's about more than your relationship. That you're committed to fighting for justice, helping those in need."

"…Fair enough." Jinx couldn't blame him for asking that. It was a very legitimate question given the reasons for her departure last time. "And well, if by some crazy turn of events Logan turns out to be a jerk like Wally… Not that he ever would, he's too much of a sweetie." She began to lose focus, holding her hands to her chest. "And god, he's such a good cuddler. The way he holds you close and nuzzles-

"Jinx." Robin cut her off, clearly not wanting to hear about how close they had gotten. The pink-haired hexer blushed.

"Uh, what I was saying was… If we were to, ahem, drift apart… No, I would not leave. I mean sure maybe I'd ask to get transferred to another group, but not quit." She paused. "I realize now how much I missed doing all that stuff you said. The feeling I got helping out and finally doing something right. It just gave me some… Fulfillment, you know? Something I never got at the H.I.V.E." She stopped when she realized how open she was being with him about all this, and blushed again. "Boy, that probably sounded dumb."

"Not at all. In fact it's exactly what I wanted to hear." Robin seemed satisfied with her response. He could tell she was being sincere. "Well, assuming you pass the test, then I can certainly allow you back on the team." Jinx took a second to register that last sentence.

"Wait, I have to take all those tests again!?" Jinx cried.

"Well yes. We need to make sure you're still Titan material." Jinx crossed her arms.

"Uh, do I need to remind you that I saved your sorry asses just a little while ago?"

"You got lucky and ambushed him. Besides, that engagement could have gone very differently if Beast Boy had been with us from the start." Jinx seemed to be pouting, which Robin couldn't help but smirk at. One minute she's mocking him, the next this?

'_Things could certainly get more interesting around here…_'

"Ugh, fine," Jinx said, finally agreeing with his proposition. She was fairly confident she could pass, but it was a lot of work. Robin nodded.

"Well, come on. We can get started right away." He motioned for her to get up as he made for the door. She stood, reluctantly following.

This was going to be rough day.

* * *

Beast Boy could hardly stand still as he watched Robin and Jinx enter the questioning room. He wanted to be in there with her, to make sure she was alright. However, Robin had been quite clear that he wanted to speak to her and her only. The rest of the team was waiting in the hall, nobody saying a word.

They had taken the news about as well as he had expected. Starfire seemed ecstatic at the idea of them being together, but he wasn't sure how Cyborg and Raven were taking it. And Robin…

Admittedly he didn't explode like Beast Boy expected, but he certainly wasn't happy. While he was able to better understand just why they had hidden the relationship, it gave him all sorts of fun new questions to ask the two of them. Once they had fully explained the past few days, all Robin had to say was "Tower. Now."

As soon as they had gotten back he demanded for Jinx to come with him. Beast Boy of course tried to follow, but Robin ordered the others to make sure not to let him. Unfortunately, Cyborg wasn't as willing to bend the rules this time. Again, Beast Boy wasn't able to tell how he was taking the news. He just seemed so surprised. He was currently looking at the green Titan, then at his girlfriend in the other room, then back at him.

"…Yes?" Beast Boy asked. "Do you have a problem?"

"No, not really." Cyborg shrugged. "Just still trying to wrap my head around it, you know?"

"Around what? What's so odd about it?" Beast Boy asked with a slightly offended tone.

"…Well, I don't know. I just never expected it, I guess. I mean, I know you and her were kinda friends when she was with us, but…" He was struggling to find words to properly explain himself.

"And would you have expected me and Robin?" Starfire asked. "We are quite different, after all."

"Well…" Cyborg rubbed the back of his neck. "Not really, I guess. I mean there were signs for a loooong time, but before that?" He sighed. "I'm sorry, man. Don't get me wrong; I'm happy for you. Really, I am." He smiled at his little teammate. "I guess part of it's just seeing her come back so suddenly. I'm guessing she wants to rejoin the team?"

"Well… Yeah," Beast Boy admitted. He was glad to hear Cyborg seemed to be okay with it. And he couldn't really blame him for being so shocked. He looked at Raven, who had her back turned to the rest of them. She had been silent ever since the fight and he was starting to worry.

"Oh joyous day! Friend Jinx wishes to become a Titan again?" Beast Boy was especially thankful for Starfire's supportiveness. He could always count of her for positivity. "But where would she be staying?" She thought. Cyborg quickly realized.

"Oh, don't tell me." Beast Boy simply nodded. "…Damn." He leaned against the wall. "Now THAT would take some getting used to. Assuming Robin's even okay with it." Starfire was also catching on, and gasped with excitement.

"Oh yes! She must stay here! She was such fun whenever she visited!" As Beast Boy had learned, Jinx was a big fan of shopping and fashion. He recalled her and Starfire spending entire days out on the town.

Of course, Cyborg brought up a good point. Would Robin even let her come back to the team, let alone move in? He looked into the questioning room. The two were staring each other down. He could tell from Jinx's expression she was being a bit of a smart-ass to him, something that probably wasn't helping her chances.

"Doesn't look so good in there," Cyborg said, reflecting his thoughts. Beast Boy took a step, but Cyborg held a hand out. "You don't want to do that." It was less about keeping Beast Boy out as much as not making Robin any angrier.

"…Yeah, I know," Beast Boy said, sighing heavily as he stepped back. He looked back at Raven. "Hey, you alright Rae?" He called out. She was either thinking so deeply she didn't hear him or ignoring him, as she didn't respond at all. "Raven?" He took a few steps towards her, somewhat nervous, and stopped when she glowed slightly. Taking the hint and quickly backed up. He looked at Cyborg, who simply shrugged.

'_What's the matter with her? Is she mad I lied or something? Or could she be jeal…'_ Beast Boy shook his head. _'No way. That was a long time ago, and neither of us had any serious feelings... Right?_'

He dismissed the thought when the door suddenly opened. Robin and Jinx both walked out into the hall. Beast Boy quickly ran up to them, hugging Jinx, resulting in an "Aw" from Starfire.

"He wasn't too hard on you, was he?" He asked, pretending as if Robin wasn't standing next to him. They pulled back, hands on each other's sides.

"Well he was a hard ass as usual, but nothing I couldn't handle." She winked.

"I'm right here you know." Robin looked a bit offended. "Anyways." He turned to the rest of the team. "I have an announcement. Jinx here wants to rejoin-

"Yeah, B already told us," Cyborg interrupted. Robin shot his green teammate a look.

"Hey, I was going to tell you," he said with an innocent smile. "But you didn't exactly give me a chance." Robin ignored his well-made point, and turned back to the others. "Right. Now, while I admit I'm still not entirely comfortable with the situation, Jinx was a valued member of the Titans, and I can tell she's sincere about rejoining."

"Now who's ignoring who?" Jinx muttered. Robin didn't seem to notice.

"So wait…" Beast Boy began. "Does that mean you'll let her back on?" His eyes grew big and hopeful. "…And let her stay?"

"One thing at a time," Robin answered. "If she passes the tests I'll consider it."

"Wait, you're making her do that again?" Beast Boy asked. "The hell? You never made Cyborg retake those!"

"Wait, what?" Jinx glared at her possibly-soon-to-be-leader.

"Different circumstances. I knew Cyborg's capabilities, I don't know yours." The couple now pouted in unison, making Robin mentally sweatdrop.

'_Maybe these two are meant for each other…'_

"We can start right away. We unfortunately have no way of knowing how to find Mumbo, so we may as well do this now," he explained.

"Makes sense, I guess," Jinx agreed. "Lead the way."

The group made their way towards the training room. As they walked, Beast Boy couldn't help but look back at Raven. She had her usual emotionless expression, but he could tell something was bothering her.

He quickly turned around when her eyes caught his.

* * *

The next few hours were some of the most difficult Jinx had experienced in a very long time. The initiation tests were as rigorous as she remembered; distance running, sprints, weight lifting, and she was particularly fond of the test where she had to dodge tiny rubber balls being shot out of a pitching machine from hell. She was given very small breaks, during which Beast Boy basically acted like her personal butler. She was touched at how much he was trying to help.

Of course, it wasn't all physical tests; she was asked several questions to gauge her decision making skills and her teamwork capabilities. She was sure Robin was also trying to make some sort of profile on her psyche. Beast Boy gave her plenty of moral support throughout the tests, as did Starfire. Cyborg gave a few words of encouragement, and even Robin occasionally gave a "good job" here and there as he wrote on his clipboard.

Raven was the only one who said nothing. She simply watched Jinx with that empty expression of hers. It was kind of creeping Jinx out, but she sort of expected that from the gloomy girl. Beast Boy seemed to notice too, as he would occasionally look at her with concern. Was this not normal?

After a rest that lasted longer than usual, Robin approached her, looking over his large amount of notes.

"Well, how'd I do coach?" She asked, taking another swig from a water bottle.

"Well," Robin began, flipping through pages. "From a physical standpoint, you're more than qualified. I can tell you've been keeping in shape."

"Oh, sneaking peeks are you?" She smirked. Robin rolled his eyes under his mask.

"And that's the problem. Your attitude." She frowned as he said this. "Your decision making is far too brash and reckless. You take far too many unnecessary risks and chances in combat situations."

"Wow, really? Me? Take _chances_?" Jinx laughed. "I've lived my whole life making my own luck. It's not really 'unnecessary risks' for me, you know."

"It is for the rest of your team." Robin moved his arm around to gesture the others. "Remember, this isn't just you. And either way, it's still a bad habit leaving things up to chance, luck magic or not. You can't always rely on your powers." He paused. "However, I understand you have been on your own for a little while, so the fact that you would be making those decisions is unsurprising." Jinx scowled a bit, unhappy at how Robin seemed to be trying to "read" her.

"So do I pass or no?" She asked impatiently.

"That's something you ought to work on too. Anyways, I've decided to give you one more test. One to see if we'll be able to work with these problems of yours or not."

"And what could that possibly be?"

"Simple. You fight one of us," he stated plainly. "Without your powers."

"…What?"

"You heard me. I told you that you can't always rely on your hexes. I want to see how you think and act without them. Nothing serious, just a small spar." Jinx seemed less than thrilled.

"Great. So who's the lucky winner?" She asked.

"Oh no, Robin please don't," Beast Boy suddenly said, holding up his hands. Jinx understood what he was thinking, and shot Robin a pleading look.

"Relax, I'm not going to make you two fight. I doubt that get us anywhere… Besides, I need to make absolutely sure you're not using your powers." He turned to look at the one person Jinx dreaded fighting more than Beast Boy. "Which is why Raven will be your opponent."

Jinx felt a bit of fear as said Titan slowly approached her, Robin, and Beast Boy. She could tell Beast Boy was also scared.

"Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked. "I mean, wouldn't fighting her yourself give you a better idea?"

"Raven will be able to tell the second she tries to use her hexes for anything," Robin explained. "If she does, I'll automatically fail her."

"Of course you will…" Jinx mumbled. She shot Raven a look. "Well, you gonna just stand there and look scary all day?"

"Let's just get this over with." Raven finally spoke, walking into the sparring ring. She took off her cloak, leaving her in just her leotard. Jinx also stepped in.

"I don't think I've ever seen you actually fight, you know," Jinx said, cocking her head a bit.

"Don't let that fool you; Raven is very capable in hand to hand combat," Robin said. Raven acknowledged this as she took a stance. She certainly looked serious about this.

"Alright then…" Jinx crouched a bit, readying herself. She couldn't gauge anything from Raven's face, so she didn't know how she would initially fight.

"You'll go until I've determined that I've seen enough." Robin stepped back. "Begin."

Despite starting, neither combatant moved. Jinx was expecting Raven to suddenly lunge at her, but she did nothing of the sort. She simply stood there, waiting.

"You know we started, right?" Jinx asked. No response. "Hellooooo?" Still nothing. Annoyed, she decided to make the first move. She swiftly leapt at her opponent, ready to strike. She was quick, but Raven was quicker. She dodged the attack with one fluid movement before striking Jinx rather harshly in the back. She gasped at the strength of the hit as she slammed into the ground face-first. She quickly recovered, though, springing to her feet to attack again. She jumped up, attempting a quick kick. Raven caught her foot, throwing her back to the floor with a good deal of force. She was a bit slower to get up this time, opting to roll back as she did. Raven continued to stand, silent and stoic. Jinx rubbed her arm, wincing a bit; she had landed rather hard on it. Raven was not messing around.

"Isn't she being a little harsh?" Cyborg asked. Robin said nothing as he watched. This is exactly how he expected Jinx to fight. But Cyborg had a point; Raven seemed to be applying a bit more force than needed.

Jinx took a second to collect herself. She was starting to understand Raven's technique. Pure defense, countering, that sort of thing. She could easily trip her up with a hex, but that was obviously not an option. She had to think about this.

'_Hm… Maybe a fakeout? If she has nothing to counter…'_

Deciding to give it a shot, she charged again. She went for a punch, but stopped short as she saw Raven start to move. She tucked into a roll and in a dance-like maneuver, went for a sweep kick.

She mentally cheered when it seemed to work; Raven was knocked onto her back. Confident she had broken her guard, she jumped to her feet and went for another hit. However, as she got up she realized Raven had already recovered. She attempted to stop her attack…

And caught an elbow in the stomach. Hard.

"Dude!" Beast Boy cried as Jinx doubled over. "What the hell, Raven!?"

"Raven, ease up," Robin ordered. "We're just testing her."

"You're going to try to use this moment of looking weak to surprise attack me." Raven ignored them as she calmly spoke to Jinx. "I'd advise you don't." Jinx coughed a bit, backing up.

"Saw right through it, eh?" Jinx said, catching her breath.

"You're tactics are extremely predictable. You try to fake out your opponent, trick them," she continued. "Hardly fitting for a Titan." This last line was spoken a bit coldly. There was none of her usual snarkiness.

"What did you say?" Jinx stood up straight, anger in her eyes.

"You heard me. You're not fit to be a Titan." Raven's eyes narrowed. "You're not good enough for him."

That did it. Jinx suddenly charged at her taunting enemy, yelling. This time she'd get her, she was going to make sure of it. As she ran, she quickly thought about just how she'd hex Raven. Make her hair blow in her face? Make her trip when she went to move? Maybe she'd just blast her. Maybe.

Maybe…

'_Wait a second.'_

Jinx suddenly stopped, still a decent distance from Raven. She straightened herself out, taking a deep breath.

'_Nice try.'_ She understood now what Raven was doing. She was trying to get in her head, make her angry. Make her use her magic so she'd fail.

'_Well two can play at that…'_

"Is that what this is all about?" She asked, putting a hand on her hip. Her tone had taken on its usual mischievous tone. "You just jealous of me?"

"Uh, guys?" Robin tried to cut in. This was clearly going somewhere bad. Of course, neither of the girls was paying attention.

"Jealous?" Raven scoffed. "Please. Beast Boy's a good friend, but nothing more." Raven finally took a step forward. "But that doesn't change what I said. He lied to us. Snuck out of the tower. Defied orders." She pointed at the cat-eyed girl accusingly. "All because of you. Because you were too scared to come out yourself," her voice was venomous. "Do you really care about him? Or are you just using him to help cover your ass? How innocent are you, really? Maybe Mumbo was responsible for the crimes we looked at, but a month is an awfully long time…" Jinx could hear Beast Boy starting to say something, but Raven held out a hand to quiet him.

"Oh right, it's my fault. I'm responsible for all this. It's not like he kept quiet about me because you were all so determined that it was me, and we figured you'd never believe me," she said with a sneer. "No, that couldn't be it could it? I'm just a manipulative lowlife that's just using him. You can do no wrong, is that it?" You could cut through her sarcasm with a knife it was so thick. "So, you think we don't belong together eh? Well…" She looked at Beast Boy with a rather seductive gaze. "Well, Logan and I disagree."

"Don't call him that," Raven snapped. Jinx smirked. She could dish it out, but she couldn't take it.

"Aw, but it's such a cute name! And you wouldn't believe what we've done together…" Beast Boy turned bright red at this.

"Jinx, w-what are y-you-

"A lot can happen in a few days… And we were alone in my apartment a whole lot, you know." Of course nothing too serious had really happened aside from that one time, but Raven didn't know that. And she was slowly starting to show her anger more and more. Jinx felt bad about embarrassing Beast Boy like this, but he'd deal with it. "Yeah… Hours at a time. And it gets awful boring in there. It was just me, him, and a nice comfy couch…" She was laying it on thick, speaking as sensually as possible. "Mmmm… I get why they call him Beast-

"**YOU SKANK!**" Raven roared, completely shattering her composure as she rushed the lewd actress. Jinx was completely ready.

"Bingo," she said, gracefully leaning out of the way of Raven's slow, clumsy hit. She swung around behind her, grabbing her arms. She twisted them behind her back before forcing her to her knees, putting a leg over hers to pin her. It was the same move Beast Boy had used to subdue her when they first met again a few days ago. "Gotcha!"

Raven was not easily to hold down, of course. Jinx was struggling to keep her pinned. She had a feeling this was going to backfire, but she couldn't help but rub it in.

"Oh, and for the record, we haven't actually done anything. At least nothing nearly that serious," she said. "That was just a little white lie to get you mad. Worked pretty well didn't it?"

She almost immediately regretted saying this when Raven began to glow.

"RAVEN, NO!" Robin and Beast Boy yelled in unison. Jinx smartly leapt back just before a pillar of magical energy erupted from the sorceress. Despite avoiding the main attack, the force knocked Jinx off her feet, sending her rolling a few meters.

Everyone was silent as Raven got to her feet, breathing heavily. She was mumbling something about calming down to herself as she shut her eyes. Beast Boy ran past her over to Jinx as she did.

"Jinx!" He cried, bending down next to her. She sat up, rubbing her head painfully. "You alright?"

"I think so," she winced a bit. "Bumped my head real good though. Could you kiss it? It might help."

"Ahem."

Both looked up to see Robin standing over them, a very stern look on his face. In the back they could see Starfire and Cyborg with Raven.

"…I guess I failed," Jinx said with a sigh. "Sorry that got so out of hand."

"Well…" Robin stopped, trying to find words. "I have to admit, you demonstrated an ability to adapt well without your powers. You assessed the situation and changed your style. I'll admit feints and fake-outs aren't the most heroic techniques, but we can work on that." He stopped for a moment. "As for what happened after, I'm not sure what to say."

"Look, I didn't mean any of that. I was just trying to get her to attack. I knew it would get her mad." She looked down. "But it was dirty and underhanded, I know. And she's my teammate. Or at least would have been."

"You're right, it's a bit underhanded. And I absolutely do not support it. But I can't deny its effectiveness," Robin admitted. "My old mentor had a knack for it. He could read people like a book, knew exactly how to get them to do what he wanted just by telling them the right things. It… Was a bit scary, honestly." He looked back at Raven, who was holding her head a bit. "But I guess I can't be too upset. She tried the exact same thing. The fact that you were able to catch it and turn it against her says a lot about your abilities." Beast Boy and Jinx were surprised at his positivity, to say the least. "There's a lot to work on, but you definitely have the skills. I suppose I could allow you back on the team."

"R-really?" Jinx's eyes become as big as dinner plates. "You mean it?"

"Alright Jinx!" Beast Boy pulled her into a hug.

"However," Robin said, ending their moment. "I cannot allow you to stay here."

"Wha?" Beast Boy blinked. "Wait, why?" Robin looked down.

"Well, I can't have teammates going at each other's throats like that. I can't expect you and Raven to be able to do your jobs if you're going to act like that-

"…No…"

The three turned as Raven weakly spoke.

"Raven?"

"Let… Let her stay…" She said, staring straight at the floor. Her voice was very solemn. "I… This was my fault. Don't punish her for my mistake."

"Raven, I don't want you to-

"Please… Do it for Beast Boy," she said before suddenly disappearing into the floor, which surprised Jinx.

"Woah, where did she-

"Her room," Beast Boy said. Robin thought for a moment.

"Well... I'll have a talk with her later. But I suppose if she's willing to change her attitude then I can allow you to stay. But," he held up a finger. "If I find that you are causing too much problems for any of my other teammates, I'll have to ask you to leave."

"I understand," Jinx said with a nod.

"That includes you," he said, looking at Beast Boy. "I get you two care about each other, but you also have a duty to the team. Remember that-oof!" He was caught off guard by Jinx pulling him into a tight hug.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" She cried. "You have no idea how good it feels to finally be out of that smelly old apartment. I promise I'll behave, really!" She let him go, going back to Beast Boy. "Show me to my room?"

"You bet! Come on," Grabbing her hand, he practically sprinted for the exit. "Thanks a ton Robin!"

"We still need to talk!" The leader called out. He rubbed his temples as they left. This had been quite a day.

"Well, this should be interesting," Cyborg said, walking over to Robin. "That was real cool of you."

"I just hope it's the right call," he said, sighing heavily.

"Hey, she's had a bit of a rough past, but deep down she's a good gal. I know the big B was slow to trust, but that doesn't mean you need to be," Cyborg said, nudging his friend a bit. "But I gotta say, I'm surprised. You were ready to kill Beast Boy this morning, but you were pretty easy on them after talking to Jinx. What happened?"

"Well, I will say I need a bit more time to get used to the idea of them together," Robin admitted. "And Beast Boy's not completely off the hook. But I understand why he kept her hidden from us, given the circumstances."

"Yeah, but that can't be it. Come on, what gives?"

"Well, I guess…" Robin watched Starfire, who had decided to follow after the couple and was heading for the door. "I guess actually seeing them together reminded me of me and Starfire. And if I was in his situation, I might have done the same if it was for her."

"Well, we did help her escape the cops. Evil alien cops, but still."

"So we did. And I wasn't about to deny them that, even if I don't completely agree with it. Besides, I admit she got us out of quite the mess. We could use her help with Mumbo."

"I'll say. That guy was packing some serious heat this time." Robin held a hand in front of him.

"It doesn't matter how powerful he is. We've stopped him before." He balled his hand into a fist. "We'll do it again." He spoke with his usual determination.

"Damn right." Cyborg gave a thumbs up. Now, I'm guessing Jinx is going to want help moving stuff from wherever she was staying. I'll take the car to help her out. You coming?"

"No. I need to speak to Raven."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"No. But I can't just ignore what happened."

"Well, make sure to give her space if she needs it. I'll catch you later."

With that said, Cyborg also headed out, leaving Robin.

"Jinx and Beast Boy…" The masked hero said quietly to himself, shaking his head. "Well, I'm dating an alien, so who am I to judge?"

He also headed out, mentally preparing himself for his encounter with Raven.

* * *

**Phew! Bit of a length chapter. Hope you enjoyed! And hey, if you've been reading and haven't left reviews yet please do! I want to know how I'm doing, and I want to hear your thoughts! Catch you later!**


	12. New Beginnings

**There are no breaks on the update train!**

* * *

"Well, what do you think?" Beast Boy asked as Jinx stepped into her new room. She looked around in awe. It was over half the size of her whole apartment, though that wasn't saying much considering how small that was. And though it may have looked like a normal bedroom to most people, it was a palace to her. The twin bed was the main attraction; after being on a couch for so long, she was ready for a proper mattress. There were 2 large windows, a sizeable desk and dresser, a few shelves, and a large walk-in closet. She even had her own bathroom, something she was ecstatic about of course. She looked back at Beast Boy.

"Well, I'll need to add my own touch to it… But I could definitely get used to this."

"I had a feeling you'd like it." Beast Boy had seen enough of her old place.

"But I'm guessing you got things to go pick up," Cyborg said, appearing in the doorway. Starfire was with him.

"Yeah, I'll have to 'convince' the landlord I'm leaving early too," Jinx said, her eyes glowing a bit as she said "convince". "I don't suppose you'd be willing to give us a hand?"

Cyborg held out his car keys, smiling.

"You don't need to give me a reason to take the girl out for a ride," he said.

"I shall help as well!" Starfire exclaimed. Jinx smiled warmly at the two, a bit touched that they seemed to be okay with her being on the team. It didn't feel quite the same as when she first spoke with Beast Boy, but it was enough.

"Thanks guys. Shall we?"

They made their way to the garage.

* * *

"3…2…1."

In the old factory, in the room with the mirror, a bright flash of light suddenly appeared. Anyone there would have been instantly blinded it was so intense. If one listened carefully, they could hear a man's scream coming from the light. A scream that was quickly growing louder.

After a few seconds, the source of the screaming emerged; something appeared from the light, falling onto the floor. The light vanished as soon as it did.

"Oooooh…" The crumpled mess on the ground groaned. It started to move, revealing that it was Mumbo. He clutched his head as he stumbled to his feet, barely able to keep his balance. "What… What just happened?"

"Your incompetence forced my hand." The mirror spoke. Mumbo slowly came to his senses, shaking himself out.

"So that was you? How the heck did you do that? You're stuck in there right?"

"Do not forget that I was able to house some of my magic within you," the voice explained. "While it is primarily meant to improve your abilities, it also gives me some limited influence."

"Limited? That was a pretty hefty spell!" Mumbo threw his arms out.

"It took a great deal of effort to perform. And you were caught between teleports for a very long amount of time as a result."

"Well that explains the light show… Still, teleportation's no small thing."

"For you, perhaps,"

"Yeah yeah… Also, incompetence? I had them beat until my wand stopped working."

"Hmph. A common excuse."

"I'm serious!" He held out the small black stick. "I couldn't do anything! I don't understand…" The mirror glowed a bit, apparently "Scanning" the wand.

"Aaah… I see."

"What?"

"Your wand has been hexed. A very unique hex at that," The wand floated from Mumbo's hand, levitating in front of the mirror.

"Hexed? So Raven was blocking my magic or something?"

"Very interesting… The hex does not actually appear to be interfering with the wand's abilities directly." It paused. "It seems to be altering probabilities."

"Probabilities? What, you mean like chances?"

"Precisely. Magic is very chaotic in nature. All spells, no matter who is casting them, have a chance to fail. This hex seems to have drastically amplified that chance for anything being channeled through this wand."

"So, what you're saying is… I got bad luck in my wand?"

"In layman's terms, I suppose so." The wand was surrounded in dark energy. "It is easy enough to dispose of, of course. Still, I do not think this was the work of the Azarathian." The wand stopped glowing, and returned to Mumbo. He immediately tested it by turning one of the many objects in the room into a bust of himself.

"There we go," he said, proud of his work. He looked back the mirror. "But uh, if it wasn't her then who?"

"I was observing your fight. There appeared to have been another party present, though I could not determine who. Perhaps they are responsible."

"Luck magic… I know I've heard of that before." Mumbo thought, tapping his foot.

"It matters little. We have far more important business to attend to. I presume you secured the item?"

"Sure did," Mumbo reached into his physics-defying bag, pulling out the decorative staff. "And no delivery fee either!"

"Aaaaaah… Excellent!" The mirror pulsed with anticipation. "Now, hold it out to me." The blue magician obeyed. The mirror glowed yet again with dark, ominous energy as the voice began to chant in a foreign language. As it spoke, Mumbo could feel something spark in the staff. The carvings lit up with the same dark energy that surrounded his wand, growing more and more intense as the incantation continued. The ritual lasted for several seconds before Mumbo felt a sudden surge of energy erupt from the staff, knocking his hat off his head and ruffling his hair a bit.

"Wow," was all he could say as he held the staff in amazement. "This is…" He turned it over, mouth agape. The power he could feel coursing through the rod was incredible.

"Yes, it is quite impressive," the voice agreed with his reaction. "A perfect catalyst for the spell. Speaking of which." The old book that was still on the mirror's stand opened to the spell it had shown Mumbo before. "We can begin preparations right away."

"What? So soon? Don't you need me to gather ingredients or something?"

"You already have everything you need right here. And because I had to assist you previously, we have increased the chances of the Titans discovering this location. They may be able to track your teleportation here."

"Hey, I told you it wasn't my fault!" Mumbo whined.

"Please… I will read the ingredients to you and how to prepare them. This spell will require a great deal of set up, so pay attention."

"Yes teacher," Mumbo said, less than thrilled about doing more work. The voice ignored his attitude, and began to instruct him.

"Now, grab the nightshade. Yes, that. Bring it to the mortar and pestle over there..."

* * *

"That should be it," Jinx said, shutting the trunk. She obviously had very little to pack, so it did not take long to clean out her apartment. Everything was able to fit in a couple suitcases and cardboard boxes. After a brief "talk" with her landlord, she managed to return her keys and end her lease. Overall, everything went fairly smooth.

As the four teens got into the car, the elephant in the room was finally addressed.

"So, about Raven…" Cyborg began as they started driving. The atmosphere in the car changed as he mentioned her. They had not brought her up since the fight.

"…I don't know what to say, really," Jinx said. She was currently in the back with Beast Boy, leaning against his shoulder. "I had no idea she was so against me and Logan."

Jinx had been thinking about the purple-clad Titan the entire time, of course. She had gone into that fight seriously intending to hurt Jinx. She seemed to have calmed down after, but Jinx was obviously still scared. More importantly, she was wondering how Beast Boy was taking it. From what he had told her, they were very close friends. He hadn't said anything about Raven since the fight, but she could tell he was really shaken up about it.

"You okay there, B?" Cyborg seemed to read her mind. She looked over at his face. He was clearly thinking about a lot of things.

"Huh? Uh… Yeah, I guess." He looked out the window. "I'm just… Not really sure what to think right now." He turned to Jinx. "Raven's my friend, but… She hurt you, Jinx. Intentionally."

"Well look. Robin said he was going to talk to her. Maybe he can figure out what her problem was," Cyborg said, trying to reassure them.

"I think her problem was pretty clear," Jinx pointed out.

"I think I'm going to have a talk with her myself," Beast Boy said. "But we need to get you moved in first." He put an arm around Jinx, obviously wanting to drop the subject for now. Jinx smiled, moving in closer.

"Hey hey, keep it clean in here," Cyborg joked. The two shot him a pair of annoyed glares. He simply grinned back.

Cyborg had to admit they were kind of cute together. He thought they went a bit overboard on the cuddling, but it was nice to see them happy. Especially Beast Boy; Cyborg was amazed at how quickly he had turned around. It wasn't even a week ago he was barely leaving the tower, or even his room because of his Terra depression. But now here he was with a new girl, looking happier than ever. Of course, it was one of the last people he expected, but it didn't change the fact that he was happy for them.

'_Take good care of him, girl. He deserves it after what he went through.'_

* * *

Robin stood outside of Raven's door, contemplating how he should approach the situation. Raven was very tricky to deal with when she got like this; Beast Boy was generally the one who could get her out of it. However, he was obviously preoccupied and Robin figured he didn't want to talk with her right now anyways.

That's not to say Robin wasn't qualified; he was the team leader after all, and it was his responsibility to be prepared for these kinds of things. On top of that, the two of them had grown much closer as friends since the fight with Trigon.

That being said, Raven could still be incredibly unpredictable. He would have to tread very carefully. Taking a breath, he went to knock. Much to his surprise, the door slid open a crack before he could. He could barely make out Raven's face through the dark slit. Her cloak was still off, as evidenced by her hair being in full view. Her single visible eye peered at him from the darkness. Having a good eye for details, Robin noticed a dry tear streak running down her face. She had been crying.

"Well?" She asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was a bit softer than usual.

"Just… Checking in," Robin said. "How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful," Raven's sarcasm had returned as she went to shut the door.

"Raven, wait." Robin spoke firmly, catching the door. "You know we need to talk about this."

"Of course we do." Knowing he wouldn't let this go, she opened the door a bit more to fully reveal herself. Robin gave her a long look.

"Just… What happened back there? That was completely unlike you." Raven shut her eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"I lost control. Let my anger get the better of me." She sounded ashamed about it.

"But what caused that?" Robin knew the general reason, but he wanted specifics. "I understand Jinx and Beast Boy's relationship is a bit tough to accept, believe me." He noticed her tense up as he mentioned the two of them. "But does it really upset you that much?" Raven looked down a bit, not responding. "This may sound a little immature, but are you… Well… Jealous of them?" Raven's nose wrinkled.

"Like I said to her, no. Beast Boy and I are close, yes, but not in that way. We never were." She thought for a moment. "Though I understand my words may have led to that impression."

"Well, if it isn't that, then what?" Raven was silent. "Raven, please. I can't have that happening again."

"I'm just worried," she suddenly said.

"Worried?"

"About Beast Boy." She paused again. "As I said, we're very close. Not romantically, but more than just friends too. And what he went through with Terra…" Her face darkened a bit. "How much pain and anguish he went through… I felt that. All of it." She swallowed a bit. "It was something I never wanted to see him experience again. I mean, I wouldn't want to see anyone go through that, but especially him. And when I saw those two together, I just…"

"Remembered that pain?" She nodded.

"I… admit I don't fully trust Jinx." She didn't like saying it, but it was the truth. "And because of that my mind began to go crazy with all sorts of possible ways she could betray him. What if she was just using him for something? To cover up her crimes? To make Kid Flash jealous?" She shook her head. "I couldn't stand the idea of Beast Boy going through what he went through with Terra again."

"I see…"

"That's not all. I also felt a little… Well, betrayed. Beast Boy was always on me for keeping secrets from him, lying about my past and what not. To see him turn around and do the same thing… I thought, 'was this because of her?' I thought she was tainting Beast Boy, in a way." Robin remained quiet, letting her speak. "I just wanted to protect him…" Her eyes glistened as tears began to form. "And instead I ended up hurting him." She bit her bottom lip, which was quivering a little. Robin approached her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She let a few tears silently fall from her face. "I nearly put her in the hospital with that last attack, without even once considering how it would affect him."

"Remember, Jinx pushed you into that one."

"Only because I tried to do the same to her. I wanted her to fail," she admitted. "I thought maybe… Well no, I wasn't thinking. I can't imagine what he's thinking about me right now." She didn't hug Robin, but she leaned into him a bit, letting him support her.

"I'm sure if you talk to him about it he'll understand," he assured her. "I know how close you two are. He won't stay mad at you."

"Yeah, maybe…" She sniffled. "I'll talk to him when he gets back." She stood up straight, giving him a small smile. "Thank you."

"Hey, you guys are more than my teammates. You're my family." He let go of her shoulder, giving her an equally small, yet confident smile. "We need to look out for each other." She nodded, stepping back into her door before shutting it. She needed to be alone for a bit while she worked out what to say to Beast Boy, and likely Jinx as well.

Robin walked off. He had to admit, he was expecting it to have been about romantic feelings. Though he was thankful it wasn't; that would have been a lot harder to resolve. Knowing the others wouldn't be back for bit, he decided to update the team files to let the rest of the Titans know Jinx had returned.

He had a feeling one person in particular wouldn't take the news so well.

* * *

Raven looked around her room after Robin left. She was thankful he hadn't come in, as it currently looked like a tornado had gone through it. Clothes and bedding were strewn across the floor, and many of her relics and artifacts had been thrown off their shelves. Raven had let off a little steam after the fight with Jinx. She was overwhelmed with anger, grief, and guilt. Especially guilt.

She picked up one of the many items littering the floor. It was a framed photo of her and Beast Boy on the shore near the tower. It showcased their personalities rather well; he had a big carefree grin on his face, making a peace sign with his fingers. She on the other hand had a much less emotional look on her face, though if one looked carefully they might see the beginnings of a smile. She too was holding a peace sign, which admittedly looked strange.

Raven kept it close to her bed at all times. It served as a reminder of the bonds she shared with her team. Beast Boy embodied those bonds to her; he was the one who had reached out to her the most during her darkest times, the one who never let her feel alone. He was truly a brother to her. That's not to say she wasn't close with her other teammates, but he was the one she felt most attached to, the one she trusted the most.

That's why she felt so bothered finding out he had lied about Jinx. He made up some flimsy excuse that Jess was a name she had used, but it didn't matter to her. As she told Robin, she felt a little betrayed and that his relationship with Jinx had driven a wedge between theirs. It was another reason she was so angry at her new teammate.

And while she wasn't jealous in the sense that she wanted Beast Boy for herself, she did feel a bit envious of how close they had already grown. The fact that Jinx called him by his actual name really said something. And that was only a few days as opposed to the years Raven and Beast Boy had known each other. She admitted it was a bit selfish, but Raven had also been upset because she was worried that she was, for lack of a better word, losing Beast Boy to Jinx. That he wouldn't be as close to her because of his new relationship.

This was in addition to what she told Robin about wanting to protect Beast Boy. Yes, she had done a lot of assuming about Jinx and the nature of their relationship. Yes, she acted like an idiot because of those assumptions.

"I just hope he… No, they can forgive me."

She began to piece together her apology.

* * *

"Aaaaaand… Done," Jinx said as she set the last item on the shelf. The small pile of empty bags and boxes in the corner indicated that she was done unpacking. It hadn't taken long, as she didn't have much. Clothing, bedding, cosmetics, hygienically stuff, books, a TV, and games were basically the only things she brought. There were a couple of personal items as well, such as a small stuffed unicorn she liked to sleep with. It had only taken about 20-30 minutes to get everything situated. She was now actually moved in.

"Well, I guess we can officially welcome you now," Cyborg said.

"Not quite. I still need to get my communicator from Robin, don't I?"

"Well… Yeah, I guess," Cyborg admitted. "But I'm sure he'll get that to you soon."

"Still, it actually feels like home now," Jinx said, looking in amazement at her room. She could still hardly believe it. "…Though I may want to give it a little makeover when I have the time. It could use a bit more pink." She looked at Starfire. "Any chance you'd want to give me a hand?"

"Of course!" The young alien's eyes lit up at the prospect of interior decorating. "We can put in new curtains and paints the walls and…"

"Woah, slow down girl," Cyborg said with a laugh. "Don't forget we still have a job to do."

"Right. Mumbo's still out there," Beast Boy recalled.

"We'll find the time, don't worry," Jinx promised. She was looking forward to finally having someone to go on "girl's nights" with again.

"Well, now that you're all moved in, how about we give you the grand tour?" Cyborg offered. "I mean, I know you've been here a few times, but you never really got a full view of the place."

"Well, there was that one time," the former villainess said with a sly smirk. "But that was a looong time ago."

"Heh… Right." Cyborg didn't like being reminded of the time she and her old team had kicked them out of their own home.

"Anyways… That sounds fun, but uh… I was kinda hoping to just do that with Logan, if you don't mind." She moved closer to Beast Boy as she spoke.

"Yeah, I uh… Know the place real well, you know?"

"Better than the guy who built it?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow.

"Erm…"

"Relax, just messing." He gave them a knowing look. "I get it, don't worry."

"Get what? Surely we can all go…" She trailed off when Cyborg nudged her a bit. "…Oh, I see. This is like when Robin and I try to go on 'missions' alone together." The couple blushed a tiny bit.

"You didn't have to say that out loud," Beast Boy mumbled, rubbing his neck.

"Oh! I apologize." Starfire understood enough about human relationships to realize what she said was a bit embarrassing. Jinx gave a small laugh.

"It's fine. We'll catch up later, I promise," she called out as Starfire and Cyborg began to leave. Once they were out of earshot, she turned back to Beast Boy. "So, you gonna show me around or what?" She held out her hand, which he gently grabbed. She gave out a small, joyful sound as he bent down and kissed it in a "gentlemanly" manor. "Why are you so _cute_?"

"Where to, madam?" He asked in a very polite tone.

"Alright, alright," he was laying it on a little too much.

"Here, I'll show you my room first," he offered.

"Actually, I was hoping we'd go there… After," she said coolly, narrowing her eyes. She giggled when her escort turned bright red. "Relax, I'm kidding. Sort of."

"S-sort of?"

"Well, it may not look good if anyone sees us doing anything the first night I'm here… But later…"

"D-doing stuff like w-what?" He asked, smiling nervously.

"Oh… I'll let you think about that." She wasn't planning on anything TOO serious, of course, but she enjoyed teasing him too much to tell him that. She half-expected him to get a nosebleed.

"L-let's just go!" He stammered, leading her out the door.

'_I'm trying not to think dirty thoughts, but she's making it so damn hard!'_

* * *

"…And that's Cy's room. A lot of big machines in there. He does a lot of work keeping the tower running," Beast Boy explained as they passed the metal Titan's door. He and Jinx had been touring the Tower for about 30 minutes now, and were coming towards the end. Most of it was familiar to the new Titan, but there were some new additions and things she didn't remember. Plus it was easy to get lost. "Well, I think that's about every…" He suddenly stopped, causing Jinx to bump into him.

"Ow! Hey, warn me when you're going to… Oh."

She followed his eyes to a door a little down the hall in front of them. She knew from experience where it led to. She looked at Beast Boy, who had a distraught look on his face.

"…Isn't that-

"My room, yes." The duo whirled around to see the source of the new voice. Before Jinx could do anything, Beast Boy was suddenly standing between her and the third person.

"Raven," he growled. Jinx noticed his voice was a bit lower than normal. He was crouched slightly, holding his arms out a bit. Raven held up her hands as if she was surrendering.

"Beast Boy, please…" She stared into her friend's eyes, noticing something feral in them. She could feel aggressive, yet protective emotions emanating from him. She understood what it meant; his more bestial side was flaring up at the sight of her, ready to protect Jinx from her.

'_I should have guessed this would happen.'_

"Logan, it's okay." Jinx lightly touched his shoulder. She felt his entire body relax as she did. Slowly, he eased back into a normal posture. He noticed Raven's expression was very solemn, not her usual emotionless mask. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"What do you want?" The low, slightly menacing tone was gone, but he still didn't sound friendly.

"To talk." She paused. "To you, preferably." Beast Boy put an arm around Jinx, giving his old friend a hard look.

"Anything you can say to me, you can say to her." Raven sighed. She was hoping to talk to them separately, but she figured that wouldn't be possible.

"I want to apologize," she said, wasting no time. "What I did today was… Awful. Truly." Beast Boy folded his arms, his eyes refusing to change. Inside, however, he was full of grief. With the possible exception of Cyborg, Raven was his closest friend. He hated the fact that he was angry with her, hated that they had to be having this conversation. Seeing the sorrow in her eyes and hearing the regret in her voice pained him. "I… I hope you can both forgive me."

"…Why?" Beast Boy asked. "Why did you do it? What could have possibly driven you to think that was a good idea?" He was trying not to raise his voice, but it was tough. Raven looked at the floor for a few seconds before she answered. And answer she did.

She told them everything that had been on her mind. How she had felt betrayed by Beast Boy, how she had been stricken with fear of seeing him have to go through another Terra, how she had felt contempt for the closeness of he and Jinx's relationship, and how she felt she was going to lose him because of it. It was quite the speech. The green and pink pair said nothing as she spoke, listening intently. Slowly Beast Boy's cold stare vanished; now he was beginning to feel guilt. Jinx was too, to a degree.

"I know it was wrong. I know it was immature." Raven was beginning to tear up again. "I just hope I didn't hurt you too much… Either of you." Drops began to fall from her eyes. "I… I don't know what I was thinking," She felt hands on her shoulders. Looking up, she gasped when she saw Beast Boy right in front of her.

"Raven…" He pulled her close. Jinx shifted her weight, a tiny part of her uncomfortable seeing him hug another girl. But she understood. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Raven was surprised at his response. Why was he apologizing?

"For making you feel that way," He said quietly. "I never meant to give you that impression." He held her tighter. "You're my friend. No, my… My big sis. That will never change." He let her go. "But you have to understand, I couldn't tell you guys because I promised Jinx. And after what happened with her and Kid Flash, she really needed someone she could trust." He sighed. "If it hadn't been for Robin suddenly bringing up her name in the case, we would have told you guys sooner."

"I see…"

"It's not that I didn't trust you, I just had to keep that promise."

"…Well now I feel bad," Jinx commented. "Look, I'm not trying to come between the two of you or anything, I swear. I just wasn't sure you guys would be willing to hear me out given the situation." She turned away a bit. "I suppose I should have had a bit more faith in you. I guess we all kinda screwed up." Raven could hardly believe what they were saying. In a way, she felt even worse now.

"It was still my choice to do what I did. I nearly hospitalized you…"

"Yeah, but only after I messed with your head."

"Which you only did because I tried the same thing."

"Would you just be quiet and let us accept your apology already?" Jinx put her hands on her hips. "I forgive you, okay? I've heard how tough it can be for you to control yourself sometimes. You've had a shit past."

"Jinx," Beast Boy said, looking at her. She frowned.

"Sorry, that was a bit rude to say."

"It's alright," Raven seemed to be returning to normal. She looked at Beast Boy. "Again, I'm sorry-

"Hey, I'm not totally innocent here," he interrupted. "It was just a lot of misunderstandings and unfortunate timing."

"Yep. Guess bad luck follows me everywhere," Jinx said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Besides, we should remember who the real asshole is here: Mumbo. He's the cause of all this, in a way." The others nodded. Before they could continue the conversation anymore, though, both Raven and Beast Boy's communicators went off.

"Everyone, report to the kitchen please. Beast Boy, bring Jinx," Robin's voice said through the devices.

"What could that be about?" Jinx asked.

"We'll find out when we get there." Raven had suddenly transformed into her normal, stoic self. Of course, the others knew what she was really feeling. Saying nothing else on the matter they just discussed, the trio made for the kitchen.

* * *

The three entered to find the rest of the team sitting around the kitchen, chatting. They all quieted down as the others entered. They looked at Raven, then Jinx, then back at Raven, and so on.

"Oh relax, we talked about it." Jinx did the talking, rolling her eyes. "We worked it out."

"Already?" Cyborg was surprised.

"Well, I think so." Truth be told, Jinx wasn't sure if Raven was fully okay with her. But she seemed to at least be tolerating her now.

"Glad to hear it," Robin said, nodding at Raven in particular. He was relieved to know they had sorted that issue out so soon. "Well, now that we're all here…" He looked at Jinx. "Jinx, step forward." The girl obeyed. Robin pulled out a small metal object as she did, which she recognized instantly. "As leader of the Teen Titans, I hereby present you with your communicator." He handed the device to her. "And officially welcome you back to the team."

"WOOHOO!"

"Alright girl!"

"Congratulations, friend Jinx!"

"…"

The rest of the team cheered on their new teammate, save for Raven who simply gave a small thumbs up. Beast Boy did enough cheering for the two of them though. Jinx stared at the communicator for a moment, letting it sink in that she was now officially a full-fledged Titan again.

"Thank you," She said, trying to contain her excitement. "I am honored to be a member of… Oh screw it, WHOOOO!" She gave up trying to look professional and began jumping for joy. "No more dingy old apartment! No more hiding out! Jinx is BACK!" She was incredibly animated, which Robin couldn't help but smile about. This seemed to even mean more to her than she was letting on. She leapt into Beast Boy's arms, hugging him with both her arms and legs. "I wouldn't have been here without you…" she whispered, planting a big, wet kiss on his cheek.

"Alright, save it for tonight you two," Cyborg joked. The two quickly separated, blushing at his comment. "Hey, just messing, just messing. So!" He clapped his hands together, rubbing them eagerly. "Who wants dinner? I'm feeling festive tonight." He was answered with several agreeable responses. "Thought so," he beamed, putting on a hat and apron he pulled from seemingly nowhere. "B, I'll let you make your own stuff. I still don't get how to cook that tofu crap. Anything you want, Jinx?"

"Whatever Logan's having," she answered. His face fell.

"Oh no… Not you too!" The prospect of another vegetarian did not sit well with him.

"Jinx, you don't have to…"

"Hey, I want to try it," she said. "That veggie burger was better than I expected, maybe this will be too." Cyborg simply shook his head.

"Man, you ate that willingly? You really are made for each other." The couple rolled their eyes in unison. "See?"

"Let's just get started," Robin said, with a laugh, trying to calm everyone down. Eventually they began to prepare dinner, though the arguing between Jinx and Cyborg continued.

* * *

Jinx sighed happily as she lied down on her bed. It wasn't terribly late, but she was exhausted; this had been the craziest day she'd ever had.

"Wow this is comfy…" She said, yawning. She forgot how nice an actual bed felt. Dinner went very well. Despite getting off to a rocky start with some of the team, she managed to get along well with everyone tonight. They spent hours listening to her stories of her time at the H.I.V.E Academy and as a criminal in general. She could tell Robin and Raven still needed to warm up to her a bit more, particularly Raven, but she expected that. She sighed again, looking around the room. This was a brand new start for her. A new home, new job… New boyfriend.

As she curled up under the covers, she smiled as she thought of the things they could do together now that they weren't hiding anymore. Their relationship could truly start. She thought about visiting him, but decided against it; again, she didn't want anyone finding them sleeping together, even if they weren't doing anything. First impressions had been weird enough. No, she'd have plenty of time to spend with him.

"…Wonder if he sleeps in his underwear."

She smiled suggestively as she imagined the changeling in nothing but boxers before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"Careful… Careful…" Mumbo told himself as he slowly placed the book in the center of the circle. He cautiously stepped out of it, making sure not to move anything. "And… Done!"

"Yes… Finally, we can begin." The voice in the mirror cackled as it spoke. The room now had a large, elaborate design on the floor. Several crushed plants and minerals had been made into a powder that was used to draw out the pattern. It was difficult to describe aside from being vaguely circular in shape. The center, the old book Mumbo had stolen sat open and facing the mirror. It was held up on a pedestal and surrounded by candles. The mirror seemed to be looking over the scene before it, inspecting it. "I see no errors. Now, the incantation."

Mumbo pulled out a sheet of paper that had several words written on it. They were transcribed from the book and translated into something he could read by the voice. Mumbo mouthed it to himself a few times, holding the staff from the museum.

"Hey, one thing I've been wondering," Mumbo said as he held up the staff. "If you knew the spell from that spart, why did we need the book so bad?"

"Simple. The book is the most crucial ingredient," The voice informed him.

"Huh… Makes sense I guess. And how do you know this spell anyways? Seems like you had me preparing for it long before we had the book."

"Because it is my invention."

"But it's in that book…"

"And who do you think wrote it?" Mumbo's mask-eyes widened. "But now is not the time for history. Read the incantation!"

Mumbo cleared his throat and, holding the staff towards the book, spoke a few dozen words in the foreign language the book was written in. As he did, the staff glowed eerily black again. A black beam shot from the crystal when he finished, striking the book. It shot out in all directions from the book, creating a sphere of black energy. The design on the floor glowed bright white, and a loud hum could be heard. Mumbo clutched his hat as the room began to become very drafty.

Suddenly, the book shot a black magical beam straight at the mirror, which became enveloped in the glow. It seemed to stretch and warp a bit, and Mumbo saw two burning red orbs appear from its center. An ominous laughter was heard before the red orbs moved forward along with a large black mass. The mass flew from the mirror into the book, which began floating as it absorbed it.

The drafts grew more violent as the book suddenly exploded, the spine and covers dropping to the floor as the pages fluttered around the room. Mumbo ducked to avoid them. They seemed to gravitate around where the cover had fallen.

The light around the mirror vanished. The bubble of darkness that had been around the book was also gone. From the discarded book cover, a small black orb rose into the air. The pages swirled around this orb, growing faster and faster as they all converged. Mumbo stepped back as they began to form a shape around it.

"Woah!" He covered his face when there was a sudden burst of energy, powerful enough to knock him over. When he looked up, there were no more lights or objects flying. The room slowly returned to normal. Except for one thing.

Mumbo slowly got to his feet, staring at the new figure that stood before him. It wasn't paying him any mind, simply staring at its hands.

"Um…. Is that you?" the dumbfounded spellcaster asked. The figure turned to him, staring with eyes that weren't really eyes. As it turned, it made a rustling noise.

Whatever it was, it appeared male. Its body was completely made out of paper, specifically from the pages of the spell book plastered together like a school project. It was something Mumbo had seen before.

"…Yes..." It spoke despite having no mouth with a cool, calm male voice, the same that had come from the mirror. It stared at one hand, which glowed black. "Ah… I can feel the power. The freedom." It threw back its hollow paper head, laughing for a moment. Mumbo shrank back a bit. The power coming from this thing was monstrous. It demonstrated this by waving a hand ever so slightly towards the mirror. Seconds after it did, the mirror suddenly shattered into hundreds of pieces. Mumbo's jaw dropped as it laughed again.

Malchior had returned.

* * *

**Another long one! Sorry, I just lose track of the word count sometimes. Looks like troubles just beginning for our heroes though.  
**

**Fair warning, I may end up having to raise the rating on this story in the future. I don't think I need to say way. See you!**


	13. The Bigger Picture

**Very late on this update, I know. College and work are in full swing and have been taking up my time, so updates are likely going to be slower from here on out. Plus I had some writer's block for this chapter. I haven't forgotten you guys though, don't worry.**

* * *

Raven's eyes shot open as she suddenly sat up in her bed. She glanced at her clock, which said that it was 1:30 AM. Despite the time, she felt wide awake. This was not an unusual phenomenon for the empath; she was sensitive to magic-related disturbances in the world, and was often pulled from her sleep as her mind subconsciously sensed them in the night. She had no way of pinpointing where or what they were, nor did she really care. There were lots of magic users in the world, some the Titans knew of and many they didn't. If anything serious ever happened they would hear about soon enough.

What was unusual about this one, though, was the small amount of anxiety Raven was feeling

Raven wasn't sure how to really describe it, but there was a very subtle amount of concern in her subconscious. Not so much as to influence her thinking, but enough to notice. She stood, stretching a bit.

"What in the world…?" She asked nobody. This "pulse", as she liked to call them, felt a bit stronger than the usual ones that woke her. But what was this feeling?

Unless…

Raven knew it was improbable, but she had to be sure. She slipped out of her room and quietly moved through the halls before coming to a large, reinforced set of doors with a pad next to it. She entered in a lengthy code and put her hand in front of a scanner, causing the doors to slide open. As she stepped inside, the room lit up to reveal several display cases. Inside the cases were various items that the Titans' enemies had used against them in the past. They were all brought to this "vault" for safekeeping and study. Raven moved through the museum-like room, obviously having something in mind. At the end of the room sat a solitary case surrounded in a dark aura. Raven chanted a few words that were quite different from her normal repertoire, and the bubble vanished. Lifting the thick glass case, she hesitated as she stared at the small object inside; an old, ragged book

It looked harmless enough, but anyone who was aware of its history knew better. For this was the book that once housed the ancient dragon Malchior, one of the Titans' most potentially dangerous enemies. He had tricked Raven into releasing him once, though she was able to put him back shortly after using the same curse that had trapped him in the book's pages long ago. While she had to admit he had taught her powerful – though dark – magic, she harbored a special hatred for the beast. He had used her, earning her trust as he disguised himself as the very wizard who imprisoned him long ago. She remembered how anxious she was to free him, how she felt towards him in her ignorance.

'_I thought he and I were… No!'_

Not wanting to go back down that road, she dismissed the thoughts. Needless to say she had felt more than betrayed. However, there was a silver lining; that was one of the incidents that had helped kindle the relationship between Beast Boy and her. At her loneliest, he had been there for her.

'_And now he's with_ her_ all the time…'_

"Focus, Raven," she told herself as she returned to the task at hand. She reluctantly picked up the book. Malchior was no longer there, of course; the Brotherhood of Evil had somehow released him again as they gathered their army of villains. However, whatever methods they used to free him were not as potent as the ones Raven had used; he was free, but incomplete. He could assume his true form, but not at full power. No, some of that power still remained behind in these pages, bound by a curse too strong for whoever freed him to break.

Raven had to admit, she always wondered who had done that.

In the end, he had been sucked into another dimension during the final fight with the Brotherhood by Herald, another Titan. The Titans resolved keeping him there was best. But now the book was back in their possession. Raven could feel the evil magic coursing through it, pulsing like a heartbeat. As far as she could tell nothing had changed.

"I figured as much," she muttered, setting the book back. She reapplied the spell that had been containing it before; it was, ironically, a spell Malchior had taught her. It was not just a physical barrier, but a mental one; those well-versed in magic would not be able to sense the powerful energies in the book through it. It was a failsafe to ensure that if he ever returned, he wouldn't be able to fully recover his power so easily. Raven shuddered at the thought of the dragon at full strength. They had only beaten him back then because of the curse; in truth, they had no idea what he was truly capable of. But he seemed invulnerable to everything they had thrown at him prior to using the curse, so Raven had no interest in finding out.

But while it apparently wasn't his doing, Raven still knew whatever she sensed was bad news. Perhaps Mumbo had tampered with that book he had taken? It was certainly possible, though that man had a very limited grasp of sorcery. Which raised another question: Just how did he escape? They had taken his hat and wand, the source of his powers, yet he seemed to have somehow recovered them without anyone noticing. And he was certainly more powerful than usual when they fought him. But why? It's not like someone can just learn magic; they need to have an aptitude for it. Without his hat and wand, Mumbo was just an ordinary guy. So what was it?

Raven thought back to the teleportation spell. Was it really Mumbo that did that? Or was it possible that he was receiving help from another? And if so, who?

Raven yawned. The energy boost she had gotten from that pulse was wearing off, and her mind was beginning to realize what time it was. She knew this was important, but so was being well rested. She'd be sure to bring this up in the morning.

She walked back to her room, eager to get back to sleep.

* * *

Mumbo gulped as the paper man before him suddenly turned its head.

"You seem nervous," Malchior spoke, sounding almost amused. "Do I frighten you?"

"…Kinda," Mumbo realized his legs were shaking. He knew Malchior was powerful, but actually feeling that power was something he could not have prepared for. "I mean… You're gonna let me live, right?" The paper figure threw back its head, laughing heartily. Mumbo wasn't sure how to take that.

"Oh… You humans and you're idiotic questions… Of course I am. There is still much I need from you."

"Huh?"

"As I have explained before, I am not fully free. You managed to return me to this realm, but some of my power still remains in that other accursed book. That group we previously fought for did not manage to fully free me from its binding after the Azarathian cursed me."

"You mean the Brotherhood?" Malchior nodded. "Great… So you need to get that book back, I take it?"

"Of course."

"But hold on, why didn't you just have me get it before we did all that stuff with the mirror? You know where it is, right?"

"Unfortunately, I was unable to sense its location." The paper rustled a bit as he spoke, indicating he was not happy about this.

"But isn't it like, part of you?" Mumbo was surprised. "I mean, if your power's in there you should be able to find it right?"

"In theory, yes. But for some reason I could not… I suspect the Brotherhood had a hand in that. Their leader did not trust me fully unshackled."

"Yeah that Brain had some leverage on a lot of us." He had dirt on Mumbo as well. "So, what's our next move?"

"First we should vacate this premise. I suspect the Titans will be able to trace that spell I was forced to cast back here in some way soon enough." He paused. "And remove as many signs of our stay here as possible."

"Yeah I suppose… Hang on," Mumbo reached into his seemingly endless pocket to pull out the bag from before. He held it out towards the many items lying around the room and opened the bag. It suddenly became like a vacuum, inhaling almost everything in the room within a minute.

"There, like we were never here."

"It is not that simple. They will surely be able to detect the magic from the soul transfer spell, among other things."

"…Yeah, I should've guessed."

"It cannot be helped. But we should leave without any further use of sorcery to prevent them from tracking us further."

"Uh, not to be rude but I think we got bigger problems than that. We don't exactly blend-woah!" Mumbo had to shield himself as Malchior suddenly exploded into several pieces of paper. He became a tornado of pages that slowly took the shape of the book from before.

"You will have to take on a more traditional disguise," the book said. Mumbo nodded, reaching into his bag and pulling out a rather inconspicuous outfit. He tapped his staff on the ground twice, and in a flash of light reverted to his normal-looking self. No blue hair, no fancy clothes, nothing.

"'Scuse me for a second," he said as he stepped out of the room to change. He came back in moments later wearing a simple outfit with a wide-brimmed hat. If it wasn't so late he'd be wearing sunglasses as well. It wasn't much, but Mumbo's "normal" form was a disguise of its own, as most people only ever saw him in his supervillain outfit. "Ta-da!"

"It will do. Now pick me up and we shall depart." Mumbo obliged the talking book, reaching down to grab it before leaving the room.

"So where exactly are we going?" He asked as he walked down the factory halls.

"I recall a place where the Brotherhood kept many powerful weapons and artifacts as it amassed its army," Malchior explained. "There is a chance it is there."

"A chance?" Mumbo raised an eyebrow. "That's what we're going on? What if the Titans got it?"

"Another likely possibility. However, I am far too vulnerable in this state to risk confrontation with them. Should anything happen to this vessel…"

"You kidding? Between you and me those brats would be no match!"

"Hmph. The 5 maybe, but there are many more," Malchior reminded him. "And besides, I taught the Azarathian a great deal about magic. If the accursed wizard's book is in their possession, she could easily seal me in it once again." He felt the book pulse with anger. "I do not intend to go back there."

"Alright, fine. So where is this place we need to check out anyways?"

"The other side of the world. More or less." Mumbo stopped in his tracks.

"Wait, what!?" He shouted. "How the hell are we supposed to get there!?"

"Simple, we fly."

"Oh, you mean you can transform and-

"No, I mean one of your human aircrafts. We cannot risk such a travel via magic; someone would surely detect it." Mumbo groaned.

"Ugh, I hate airports… You spend forever just waiting around."

"Waiting? What do you know of waiting!?" The book shouted, causing Mumbo to flinch a bit. "I was imprisoned for one thousand years in that book! I have only experienced true freedom for mere minutes since then!" He almost sounded offended by Mumbo's complaint.

"Jeez, calm down…" Mumbo stepped outside into the cool summer night. "Alright, can we find a place to sleep first? If we're seriously flying halfway across the world I'm going to want to rest up."

"Very well. But do not do anything to give us away,"

"Please, I'm a master of subtlety."

Malchior chose not to point out how inaccurate that statement was as the pair of spellcasters vanished into the night.

* * *

"Damn, nice hit." Cyborg stood, having just received a solid blow to the torso from Jinx. She was a lot stronger than she looked.

"See? You're getting the hang of it," Beast Boy gave his girlfriend 2 thumbs up. She was quickly learning how to fight with less risk, as evidenced by her current bout with Cyborg. That's not to say she was having an easy time of it.

"I think that's enough. We're both getting a bit winded," Cyborg said, calling the bout. Jinx nodded in agreement, panting. It was her first morning training, and it was tiring to say the least. She had spent most of it with Robin as they tried to work out a routine that fitted her best. There was still some work to do, but she was sure she'd get the hang of it.

"Okay team, 30 minute break and then meet in the ops room," Robin ordered. "We've got a lot to do today. The other nodded in agreement before heading off to clean up and eat breakfast. Jinx hurried back to her room, eager to shower.

"Hitting the ground running," she said to herself as she entered her room and began to undress. They didn't give her any leeway because she was new, not that she expected it. She was still adjusting to the fact that she was on the main team now. Sure she had been an "honorary Titan", but that just didn't feel the same as this. She stepped into her bathroom and turned on the shower, stepping in.

They were going after Mumbo today, no doubt. Jinx was eager to get her hands on him again. But where could he have gone?

"Slippery bastard…" Jinx muttered as she washed herself. As she rinsed, her mind shifted from Mumbo to Beast Boy. The fact that she was living with him still gave her butterflies in her stomach. Maybe if she was lucky they'd get time off tonight and the two of them could finally go on a proper date. After all, she had gotten very little time alone with him since she got here. They had a chance, but Raven had to interrupt that. "At least we buried that hatchet," she said as she turned off the water. Or so she hoped.

As she dried and dressed herself, she began to brainstorm ideas for a first real date. Should they go somewhere extravagant and fancy? Or make it just a simple night out. Maybe just a movie or a night in the park or something?

"We'll figure something out," she told herself as she finished getting herself ready for the day. She made for the kitchen, eager to get some breakfast.

* * *

Beast Boy had been a bit faster cleaning up than Jinx, and was pouring himself some cereal as she entered. He waved as she approached him.

"Can I get some of that?" She asked. He handed the box to her as he poured some milk in his bowl. "…What is that?"

"Soy milk," Beast Boy answered as he capped it. Her face wrinkled. "Heh… Guess you don't want any?"

"Tried that once. Tofu's one thing, but that's… Yech," she said, finding milk of her own in the fridge. "…No offense."

"Hey, I never asked you to change your diet for me." She shrugged.

"Yeah but I figure I can at least try to respect your habits, you know?"

"Well either way, don't do it for my sake. It's not like I get offended when other people eat meat."

"Well that's very mature of you," Jinx said as they both sat down as Cyborg entered the room. "Unlike SOME people,"

"Woah, what did I do?" Cyborg held up his hands defensively. Beast Boy and Jinx simply laughed, much to his annoyance. "Whatever." He started to fix up something for himself.

"So…" Jinx played with her spoon a bit, speaking quietly. "You think we'll get any time off today?"

"Tough to say. Depends on what Robin wants us doing," Beast Boy answered just as quietly. "Why?"

"Well, I was hoping we could go out somewhere tonight. Like, actually go out." The shapeshifter's ears perked up a bit.

"Oh… Yeah, I'd love to! I mean like I said I don't know if we'll get a chance."

Cyborg came to the table with his own breakfast. The three chatted and ate, the rest of the team eventually joining them. It didn't take long for everyone to finish and heading to the ops room.

"Alright," Robin began, the giant screen behind him showing a profile of Mumbo. "As we all know, Mumbo is now at large. While we managed to subdue him, he unfortunately escaped."

"'We', he says…" Jinx whispered in Beast Boy's ear. He had to fight the urge to laugh.

"Something you want to say, Jinx?" Robin asked, looking at her.

"Sorry, sorry." now wasn't the time for sass. "But seriously, I'm not sure how he managed to get away like that. I hexed his wand pretty well."

"Well, it's all still luck right? Even if the chance is low, he still could've gotten something off," Cyborg suggested.

"I guess, but it just looked weird. Normally he has to wave that thing around and shout some stupid phrase to make it work." She shrugged. "I mean I'm just saying."

"That's because it probably wasn't him who cast that spell," Raven said. The others looked at her.

"What, you think he had help?" Beast Boy asked. She nodded.

"Think about it. How did he manage to escape prison? He obviously didn't have his hat and wand to help him there. And was more powerful when we fought him." Robin nodded.

"I've been considering that possibility as well. It seems very likely given the circumstances."

"But I thought none of our other magical foes had broken out. Mumbo was the only one we were wrong about, was he not?" Starfire inquired, recalling the lists Robin had gone through.

"That is true," Robin said.

"Great, so we're right back to where we started." Cyborg leaned back, sighing.

"Well not exactly. This time we know Mumbo's actually a culprit, instead of just a suspect," Beast Boy pointed out. He chose not to remind them how much they had jumped the gun about Jinx.

"Yeah but we have no clue where he went. Raven couldn't track that teleport, and if there really is someone else involved he could be anywhere right now." Cyborg didn't seem terribly optimistic.

"Unfortunately, Cyborg has a point," Robin said. "The investigation at the museum found nothing helpful. He certainly left some evidence indicating it was him, but that's not what he need right now."

"I don't suppose there's anything I can use?" Beast Boy asked. "No hair or anything like that?" He was hoping he could try to track via scent. Robin shook his head.

"Nothing I'm afraid."

"So what, we're just supposed to sit here?" Jinx stood. "There must be something we can do!" Robin motioned for her to calm down.

"We could patrol the city, but I don't think that will get us anywhere. He's remained invisible for at least a month now. If he doesn't want to be found, we won't find him," Robin clearly was aggravated with the situation as well; they knew who they were after, but there were no leads. He wasn't sure what to do.

"…Wait, hold on." Jinx seemed to be getting an idea. "Is the construction site we fought Mumbo at still open?"

"As far as we know, the police have not closed it off for investigation or anything. Why?" Robin wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"Raven, you think any of that leftover magical-whatever you can see is left from that teleport?"

"…Yes, I'm sure some residual energy from that spell remains." Jinx certainly had a way with words. "But like Robin said, I was unable to find its other end."

"Well maybe not alone, but what if I helped?" Jinx suggested.

"…Helped?"

"Sure! I've got some magic in me, right? Maybe I can do something, you know?"

"Mixing our magical energies could be dangerous."

"Or it could work. Look, I know it's a bit risky but it's like we have much else to work with."

Raven thought. Jinx certainly had a point that combining their efforts may help, but magic could be very unpredictable. Especially with someone like Jinx.

_But…_

She recalled that sensation she felt last night. That small feeling of dread. This wasn't just Mumbo being Mumbo; someone else was involved, and there was something they weren't getting. Something big.

She was prepared to take a little chance to find out what.

"I suppose we don't," Raven said. "Alright, I say we try it."

"Woah, you sure?" Cyborg was a bit surprised; normally Raven tried to avoid this sort of thing.

"We won't be using much power. Even if something were to happen, it shouldn't be too dangerous."

"Well, if you're sure." Robin had no objections. "We can head there now." The team agreed, and they moved into action.

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the site. It was still empty, which they were thankful for.

"Give me some room," Raven said as she began to levitate. She held out her arms as she went into a trance-like state, eyes glowing. The others watched as this went on for a minute or two before the sorceress returned to normal. "It's still here, but I still can't trace it."

"Looks like I'm up," Jinx said, approaching her.

"You sure we should let them be doing this?" Beast Boy was very concerned.

"Relax, B. They know what they're doing."

"Not too much," Raven instructed, grabbing her hand. Jinx nodded before her eyes began to glow. The others stepped back a bit as pink light shot up Raven's arm. As she did this, Raven's eyes began to glow white again. She could certainly feel a difference as she attempted to trace the spell again. She began to visualize in her mind the portal Mumbo had vanished into. She had done it before, but it was much clearer this time, but slightly more unstable. As Raven predicted, Jinx's chaotic magic was amplifying her own but making it slightly harder to control. Anything more complicated than this may have been dangerous, but Raven felt confident. Slowly, she began to visualize a "tunnel" emerging from the portal. Her mind left her body for a moment as it traveled down this tunnel at high speed. As she focused more and more, she could feel something else; another signal, getting closer and closer. She concentrated more, careful not to lose control of Jinx's magic.

Jinx could sense what was going on too, but to a much, much smaller degree. She understood not to use any more of her hexing abilities. The other rest of the Titans continued to watch, somewhat on edge.

Suddenly, Raven let go of Jinx, her eyes returning to normal. She clutched her head slightly.

"Raven!" Beast Boy called as the group ran over to her.

"Relax, I'm fine. Just had to use a bit more energy than I was expecting," she rubbed her head a bit more.

"Did you find anything?" Robin asked as she recovered. She nodded.

"Yes. I couldn't fully visualize it, but I have a general idea of where the spell was cast."

"Oh yeah!" Jinx cheered. "Told you it would work."

"It was still risky. Your magic is strong, but unstable."

"Well, we'll only do that when it's an emergency then." Jinx was too busy being proud of her idea to really care about the dangers of it.

"Hmph. Well we shouldn't waste any time. I'll lead us there," Raven rose into the air. The Titans began moving again, Raven flying ahead of the others.

* * *

It took about 45 minutes before Raven signaled the other Titans to stop. Cyborg found a place to park nearby.

"This it?" He asked as he stepped out. Raven nodded as she looked around.

"As I said, I don't know exactly where… But I have a pretty good idea."

She said this because the only notable landmark was a large, rusted factory. It was clearly abandoned and looked as though it may fall apart at any moment. It was a wonder it hadn't been demolished yet.

"Alright, Titans. Move in."

The 6 heroes entered the factory lot, quickly getting against the wall of the building. Nothing had attacked them yet, so they quickly and quietly found a door and entered.

The inside looked just as bad as the outside. Paint was peeling, dust and cobwebs were everywhere, and the floor was covered in all sorts of debris. A few rats scurried into the darker corners as they entered. It was hard to believe anyone could be hiding out in here.

Robin nodded to Cyborg. The robotic Titan tapped something on his arm before holding it out. A small beeping could be heard as he his arm in a slow circle.

"Hm…" He looked at his arm again, a small screen visible on it. "Well, aside from rats and roaches, there doesn't seem to be anything alive here."

"Figures. I doubt he'd stay in one place for long," Jinx said, crossing her arms.

"Let's look around just to be sure. Groups of two," Robin decided. Jinx immediately went to Beast Boy's side as he said this. Raven decided to go with Cyborg, and Starfire with Robin. The three groups split off into different directions.

* * *

"Nasty little bastards," Jinx grunted as she brought her foot down on another cockroach. "Who invented cockroaches anyways?"

"Remind me never to turn into one," Beast Boy joked as he peered into another room. Naturally, there was nothing of importance inside.

"I think we've combed this whole factory." Jinx was clearly getting impatient. "What are we looking for anyway? Cyborg said nobody was here."

"Clues I guess. Let's see, one more room over here." He looked in. "Aaaaand nothing."

"Great, another pointless… Huh?" Jinx stopped Beast Boy as he began to move away. "Hold up."

"What? See something?" He looked back inside. "It looks empty to me."

"Yeah, I know. Completely empty. No chairs, no desks… No dust."

"…No trash." Beast Boy was starting to see what she was talking about; the room was eerily spotless compared to the rest of the building. Jinx was already pulling out her communicator.

"Hey, guys? I think we may have something here."

It took a few minutes for the others to find them. They all had about the same reaction.

"I know there aren't any actual clues, but…"

"Maybe not," Raven stepped forward, holding out a hand. "Let's see…" She stopped. "Here. The teleportation spell came out here."

"Well he's obviously gone now. Still, at least we know he didn't pop up in Africa or something." Beast Boy said.

"There's something else…" Raven continued to "scan" the room. "Hm… It feels very different." She concentrated her efforts, curious to what she was sensing. Something new came up in her mind's eye as she did.

Suddenly, she cried out in pain as fell backwards, clutching her head with both hands.

"Holy crap!" Beast Boy ran forward, catching her before she slammed her head on the floor. He set her down gently, the others gathering around her.

"What was that?" Jinx asked. "And are you alright?" Raven nodded slowly, still holding her head.

"It was…" She tried to sit up, clearly struggling.

"Woah, take it easy girl," Cyborg said, resting his hand behind her head. They gave her a moment to recuperate.

"What did you see?" Robin asked.

"I… I'm not sure," Raven admitted. "A very powerful spell was cast here. Very powerful… And very dark." She obviously wasn't referring to the teleport. "That must have been it…"

"What?" Robin moved closer to hear her better. "What was that last part?" Raven sighed.

"Last night, I was woken up by some sort of magic pulse…"

"Yes, you've explained that to us before." Robin had caught Raven wandering late at night a couple times and had begun to worry, so she told them.

"Yes, but this one was different. I felt… Anxious about it for some reason. It felt stronger than ones I normally sense."

"And you think that and whatever happened here are the same thing?" Cyborg asked.

"It has to be. But I don't understand what Mumbo has to do with it…" There was a small pause.

"Wait," Beast Boy made a fist and brought it down on his other hand as he figured it out. "The book!"

"Yes, of course!" Robin exclaimed, agreeing with his logic. "That book was supposedly full of very powerful spells. If Mumbo had it…"

"But he still shouldn't have been able to cast it," Raven interrupted. "Someone like him can't use sorcery like that. All his power is in his hat and wand."

"And so what?" Jinx was confused.

"So he doesn't have the natural affinity for magic. People like you and me could use a spellbook like that, but not him. It's not the same kind of magic as the kind in his items."

"So there is someone else then…" Starfire spoke with concern. "Someone who can perform such magic." Raven nodded.

"And they are likely very skilled. Whatever it was I felt was immensely powerful. Though I don't know what its purpose was…"

"Alright, I think that's all we're going to get here," Robin said. "Our next move should be searching the nearby area for any sign of Mumbo. There's a chance he's still around."

"And if we do not find him?" Starfire asked.

"We'll have to assume he's relocated again. There's obviously something bigger than we thought going on here. If we don't find him after a few hours, we should return to the tower. We need to revisit the crime scenes, figure out everything Mumbo took. We may find some answers there." He thought. "We'll split up into the same teams. Remember, Mumbo's a lot more dangerous now, so stay focused." He stared at Jinx and Beast Boy. "Understand?"

"Yeah yeah," Jinx rolled her eyes.

"Good. Now let's move."

* * *

"Sir, I can't let you on without your boarding pass."

"Hang on, I know it's in here somewhere…"

Somewhat nearby the old factory the Titans were just leaving, in a crowded airport terminal, a man was currently trying to board his flight. He was the last in line, and was apparently having some difficulty finding his pass. The young male employee was getting a bit impatient.

"Sir, the plane is taking off in 5 minutes. If you don't have-

"Aha!" Before the ticket checker could finish, the man pulled a small paper object out of his bag. "There you are, sir." The young man looked over the pass skeptically; it was clearly fake.

"Uh-huh… Mr. Richardson, is it? I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

"What? But I just gave you my pass?" The man sighed.

"This is clearly a fake. Now please, before I have to call secur-

The worker suddenly fell silent as the passenger snapped his fingers. His eyes widened with a blank stare.

"I said, I gave you my pass."

"…You gave me your pass." He spoke in a slow, monotone voice.

"There aren't any problems with my pass, are there?"

"…There are no problems with your pass." The man, still blank-faced, handed it to him. "Enjoy the flight, sir."

"Thank very much." The man made for the gate, but stopped. "Oh, and as far as you're concerned, I was never here. Got it?"

"…You were never here."

"Great! Glad we understand each other. Ciao!" The man waved, entering the gate to the plane. He snapped his fingers again as he entered. As he did, the worker fell out of his trance-like state.

"Huh? What just happened?" He looked around. "Was I just talking to someone?" He scratched his head in confusion.

The mysterious passenger stepped onto the plane, and made for his seat. He was the only one in his row. As he sat down, he pulled a book out his bag and opened it up.

"So what do I do once we land?" He asked despite nobody being around.

"I will tell you when we arrive," the book, which had eyes on the page he was reading, spoke.

Malchior and Mumbo had boarded a plane to the UK, where the Brotherhood's vault the former spoke of was located.

"So out of curiosity, what happens if the book ain't there?" Mumbo asked as the flight attendant began to go through the emergency safety procedures.

"Then we assume the Titans have it. Either way, there is something else I wish to do here. A crucial step in truly freeing myself."

"Uh-huh… And what would that be?"

"It is a more personal matter. You will find out soon enough."

"Yeah yeah, you keep saying that…" Mumbo sighed. "So, you're still gonna let me keep this power when this is done, right?"

"Of course. Your have proven to be a loyal servant, and I reward loyalty well." Unlike Raven, Malchior did not have to trick Mumbo into helping him; all Mumbo wanted was the ability to do magic without the use of his hat and wand, and Malchior could easily oblige him. He could of course crush Mumbo like a flee when he regained his full strength, but he saw no reason.

"Glad to hear it." Mumbo didn't seem to mind being called a servant.

The plane began to take off. Mumbo sighed; it was going to be a long flight.

* * *

**Eh, I wasn't the biggest fan of this chapter while writing it. Lot of plot and dialogue I know. Like I said, had writer's block. Well, hope you enjoyed all the same. See you next time!**


	14. Reconnecting

**Before we begin, I want to take the time to thank everyone who's been reading. We've nearly hit 10k views and 50 reviews and favs. That really means a lot to me. I only wish I could get these out sooner for you all but life is life. **

* * *

Jinx let out an impatient sigh as she checked the time on her phone. Her entire posture screamed "bored" as she walked down the street. Beast Boy was slightly ahead of her, a bit more focused on his surroundings. He looked at her as she sighed.

"Having fun yet?" He asked, his tone suggesting he was also getting tired of this.

"Not yet. Maybe after _another_ 2 hours." Her voice was oozing with sarcasm.

"Damn, it's really been 2 hours?" Beast Boy had lost track of the time. They hadn't made any progress whatsoever.

"Is it always like this? I feel like we're getting nothing done." They had spent all morning just searching. They had gotten some clues, but Jinx still felt like they were wasting time.

"Not really. We usually have something to go on. Cyborg might pick something up, Raven can sense something…" He smirked at her. "Maybe I pick up their scent because they were careless at the crime scene." Jinx responded by sticking her tongue out. "Hey, I'm just saying… Seriously though, this isn't the norm."

"I would hope not. Otherwise I'd feel bad about losing to you guys so much." Beast Boy stopped to look in an alley. "Oh look, empty."

"Yeah, looks that way," Beast Boy said as he walked into it. "He couldn't possibly be-AHA!" He shouted, suddenly lifting the lid off of a trash can. Inside, a small raccoon stared up at him within the pile of refuse.

"…Seriously?" Jinx stared blankly, amazed he thought that would work.

"Hey, he can probably shrink… I mean, it's possible he… Ugh." Beast Boy slammed the lid down, rubbing his face is annoyance. He heard her laugh. "You got any better ideas?"

"Plenty. But I don't think Robin would be too happy about any of them," she said coyly, smiling. Beast Boy blushed a bit.

"Y-you know what I meant."

"Yeah, well… Not really," the hexer said as she leaned against the alley wall. She looked up as a plane flew overhead. "Maybe he's up there," she said half-seriously. Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Well I'm out of ideas," he admitted. "So now what?"

"…We could talk about tonight," Jinx suggested. The pair had briefly discussed some ideas as they had been searching, but had primarily been focused on the mission. It had taken a lot of willpower for them not to lose focus, of course.

"Sounds good. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Well, we could just do dinner and a movie. Though we sorta did that the first night."

"Yeah but this would be different. We could go to an actual theatre."

"I guess." Jinx shrugged. "Plus we could go somewhere nicer to eat."

"Yeah. But not _too_ nice. I don't think we'd fit in too well in some of those fancier places." Beast Boy stood up straight, stuck his nose in the air, and made a ring around his eye with his finger and thumb to emulate a monocle. "Mmmm I say, Meredith, that boy is _positively_ green!" He spoke with a ridiculously over-the-top "classy" voice. Jinx laughed at his performance.

"Yeah probably. Plus I don't think my wallet would appreciate that." She paused, thinking. "Hmm… What's good around here…?"

"Well how about this," the changeling proposed. "Why don't we just go tonight and see where the night takes us?"

"Oooh, spontaneous. I like it."

"Great! I'll just have to make sure we're clear and-

The conversation was interrupted by both of the Titans' communicators going off.

"Beast Boy, Jinx, come in." Robin's voice could be heard.

"Right here," Beast Boy answered. "Hope you've had better luck than us."

"I take it you haven't found anything either, then." The pair sighed as Robin spoke. "I just checked in with Raven and Cyborg. Same story."

"I figured," Jinx said. "So, do we just keep looking or…?" There was another sigh on Robin's end.

"…No. I'm calling off the search." They could tell he didn't like what he was saying. "We're just wasting time at this point. We should all meet back at the tower."

"Got it. We'll be there soon." Robin disconnected. Beast Boy and Jinx looked at each other.

"He sounded… Unhappy," Jinx couldn't really think of a better word.

"Yeah, he hates being in situations like this. Where he can't actually do anything despite knowing there's a problem." Sitting and waiting for the villains to make a move wasn't Robin's style.

"I can see that." She paused. "Does he have an off switch?"

"Actually, yes. Her name's Starfire." It was true; Starfire was just about the only one that could ever make him break away from his 24/7 work schedule.

"Of course… Well, shall we go?"

"Yeah, we shouldn't keep them-oof!" He suddenly felt a weight on his back as Jinx leapt on him. He was now piggy-backing the pink and purple girl. "Uh…" He felt his cheeks getting warmer.

"Well we're too far to walk, right? Just don't go too fast."

"Right… Though I wouldn't mind walking back like this," he said slyly. His cheeks only grew redder as he briefly felt her lips on his cheek.

"Let's save it for tonight," she whispered. She giggled as her carrier's entire face turned crimson. Stepping out of the alley, he morphed into a large pterosaur. Making sure his cargo was secure, he took off for the tower.

"H-hey! I said not too faaaaaast!"

* * *

Robin looked around at his three teammates. His shoulders were slumped, a disappointed look on his face.

"Hey man, we've been in spots like this before," Cyborg said, trying to comfort his teammate a bit. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

"I know, it's just… Frustrating." Robin shook his head. "There's so much we don't know."

"Look, whoever or whatever is really behind this is obviously-

Raven was cut off by the main doors sliding open. The green and pink duo entered.

"I keep telling you that's as slow as I can go!"

"And I keep telling you that's bull!" Jinx was clearly a bit shaken up. "I see that smirk! I just… Oh." She trailed off as she noticed the rest of the team. She cleared her throat. "Uh, sorry."

"Flying troubles?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow. Beast Boy shrugged innocently. "Uh-huh…"

"Sorry we're a bit late. What's going on?" The shapeshifter quickly changed the subject.

"We are trying to decide what to do next," Starfire answered.

"Yeah, we're kinda at a dead end here," Cyborg admitted. Beast Boy and Jinx noticed Robin's posture.

"As I was saying," Raven continued, glaring a bit at the couple for interrupting her. "Whoever's behind this – and I don't mean Mumbo – we're playing by their rules right now. They've been at work for over a month now, and we're just finding out about it." She saw Robin react a bit to this statement, clearly uneasy about that fact that they hadn't known. "I'd hate to say it, but we don't really have much choice but to wait for them to make the next move."

"Speaking of all this," Jinx suddenly said. "Do we have any clue who else could be involved?" Robin immediately opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. Everyone but Jinx knew what he was going to say.

"I mean, there's always a chance it's him," Beast Boy said.

"We have not seen any sign of him since our fight with Trigon." Starfire pointed out. "But…"

"But he didn't know any magic," Cyborg argued.

"Who's to say he couldn't learn?" Robin rose, his voice a bit louder. "We know what he's capable of."

"Yeah… Yeah we do," Beast Boy said quietly, looking down. Jinx looked around, confused.

"I'm sorry, but I'm out of the loop here. Who are we talking about?" She flinched a bit as Robin shot her a crazed look, but it quickly went away.

"Right, you haven't had as much experience with him…" He looked away and practically spat the name out. "Slade."

The air in the room grew heavier as he spoke the name.

"…Oh." Jinx didn't say much in response. She had learned plenty about that name in her time. There was a small silence. "…Well, he's not the only one it could be right. I mean Starfire mentioned…"

"No." Raven cut her off. The cat-eyed girl noticed something spark in Raven's eyes as she spoke. "I would know if _he_ had a hand in this." She said "he" with the most utter contempt. Jinx was reminded of just who Raven was.

"…Sorry, I forgot that… Nevermind." Jinx's shoulders fell a bit. Raven sighed.

"Look, my point was that we shouldn't waste any more time aimlessly searching." She looked at Robin.

"Yeah, we got a whole city we need to protect, remember?" Cyborg tried to change the subject away from Slade, Trigon, or anyone else in that tier of villains.

"I know we do," Robin said. "But we can at least try to gather more information. Maybe if we can figure out what Mumbo took we can piece something together." He looked at Raven. "But you're right; we can't dwell on this too much. We're just lucky nothing else has happened these past few days."

"Well, almost nothing," Cyborg reminded him, looking at Jinx and Beast Boy. They both smiled innocently.

"Right… Well, I can handle getting information from the police on the museum robbery," Robin decided.

"I can come up with a way to counteract whatever spell Mumbo casted on those other store owners," Raven said. "Now that I know what we're dealing with a bit more." Robin nodded.

"I guess that's all we can do for now. You're all dismissed."

Once again the Titans dispersed from the ops room. Cyborg made for the garage, apparently having found something wrong with the T-car he needed to work on. Raven left for her room, as usual. Starfire went off to feed Silkie. Robin was heading for his room as well, but was stopped by Beast Boy and Jinx.

"Hey, uh, quick question." The green teen said.

"What is it?" Robin looked at him and Jinx, already guessing what he was going to be asked.

"So… You don't need us around tonight for anything, right?" He gave a hopeful smile. Jinx stood behind him, attempting to give puppy-dog eyes by the looks of it. "Because tomorrow's a day off for training, and…"

"You two are free to go where you want tonight," he answered the inevitable next question. "Just remember to be quiet if you come back late."

"…That obvious, huh?" Beast Boy asked, looking a bit embarrassed. Jinx giggled behind him. Robin held back a laugh of his own.

"I assume you won't be eating here then?" He asked.

"That's the plan," Jinx answered. "We were thinking of heading out around 5 or so." The Boy Wonder nodded.

"Understood. Hope you two have fun," Robin said simply before leaving for his room.

"Well that went well. I was half-expecting him not to let us go," Jinx said once she was sure he was out of earshot.

"Why would he do that?" Beast Boy asked, giving her a confused look. She shrugged.

"I dunno. He just seemed a bit unsure about, well, us. It's hard to explain." She thought. "Like, Cyborg and Starfire seem pretty okay with it from what I can tell, but he and Raven just give me a different vibe, you know?" She noticed Beast Boy's eye look at the floor for a second as she mentioned Raven.

"Yeah, I hear you. But they're a bit slow to accept big changes like this." He gave a small smile. "They'll come around."

At least, he knew Robin would. He had spoken to him last night about all this after all.

* * *

"_Well, I think I'm gonna turn in early," Jinx said, stretching as she stood up. "It's been a long day."_

"_Yeah, I hear you. You've been through a lot," Cyborg said. "I'm probably gonna head up soon too. Power's runnin' a bit low and all." _

"_Yes, and I must put Silkie to bed," Starfire said with a sigh. "And that can take a very long time."_

"_Silkie?" Jinx raised an eyebrow._

"_Uh, long story. I'll tell you later," Beast Boy quickly said before Starfire could start explaining. Jinx looked at him suspiciously, but decided to save it._

"_Well, night all. Great to be part of the team again." She bent down and pecked Beast Boy on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, Logan." She noticed Raven look away for a second as she did._

_Beast Boy rubbed his cheek with a dreamy look on his face as she left. Robin cleared his throat. _

"_I'm going to go meditate before bed," Raven suddenly said. "Good night everyone." She floated out of the room. Cyborg and Starfire said their goodnights before leaving as well, leaving Beast Boy and Robin alone in the kitchen._

_There was a small silence as the two looked at each other. Beast Boy wanted to get up to leave, but he had a feeling that wasn't really an option._

"…_We should talk," Robin said plainly. _

"…_Yeah, I guess we should," Beast Boy reluctantly agreed. He knew this was coming the moment they found out about Jinx. Robin folded his hands, resting his elbows on the table. He looked down a bit, thinking. Beast Boy stared at the table, rubbing his arm awkwardly. _

"_Look, I…" Beast Boy sighed, looking up at his leader. "I'm sorry about all this." Robin said nothing, listening intently. "I should have told you guys sooner. Hell, I WANTED to tell you guys. But I promised Jinx I wouldn't say anything unless she wanted to." He paused, Robin continuing to be silent. "And we were going to, but then…"_

"_But then we began to suspect her and you couldn't." Beast Boy wanted to say something, but just slowly nodded instead. _

"_She was convinced you wouldn't believe us if we said she was innocent. We were going to wait until we had found out who really did it to tell you, but then… Well, you know what happened this morning." _

"… _I suppose I'm partially to blame here." Beast Boy turned his head a bit as Robin spoke, confused. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions about Jinx so much. Like Raven said, some things just didn't add up." He could tell Beast Boy was rather surprised at what he was saying._

"_Dude, you don't have to apologize. I was the one hiding stuff from everyone."_

"_Only because you were trying to protect someone," The leader reminded him. Beast Boy opened his mouth, but Robin held up a hand. "Your actions were certainly not encouraged, but knowing the full story I can understand why you did what you did." Robin had been thinking about what he was going to say to Beast Boy ever since he spoke with Jinx. "And… I may have overreacted a bit this morning," he admitted, looking a bit embarrassed. _

"_You think?" Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. Robin gave him a hard look. "Sorry," the changeling quickly apologized. "I know that sort of thing ticks you off. That's why I didn't want you to find out that way."_

"_Even so…"_

"_Hey, you've got to look out for the team right?" Now Beast Boy was mentoring Robin to some extent. "Besides, you work so damn much I'm surprised you don't snap like that more often. You should really cut loose more."_

"_Hmph. And you should take things more seriously."_

"_Yeah well… You know me." Beast Boy leaned back, now more relaxed. There was momentary pause._

"_Moving on… Let's actually talk about you and Jinx." That relaxation didn't last long. Beast Boy sat up a bit straight. _

"_Yeah, what about us?" He asked somewhat defensively. Robin held up his hands defensively, sighing._

"_I'm going to be honest; I still don't know how I feel about you two being together." He noticed his teammate's eyes narrow a bit. "I'm not saying I'm against it. Just… It was so sudden and unexpected." _

"_Yeah well, we can't all be like you and Star. Seriously, I can't believe how long it took you two to finally go for it." Beast Boy chuckled a bit. "But… I guess I understand. It's a big change for me too, you know."_

"_I realize that. Which is why I want to be sure you are going to stay focused." Robin's voice grew a bit more serious and leader-like. "I understand how you're feeling right now, but you need to remember you still have a responsibility to this team. And that responsibility needs to come before your relationship." Beast Boy looked away from his leader's eyes; this was the part of the conversation he had been dreading a bit. "I'm not trying to say you two can't see each other, just- _

"_No, I hear you." Beast Boy looked back at him. "And you're right, of course. Bad guys aren't gonna catch themselves." Robin nodded, relieved he wasn't trying to start an argument. Beast Boy was being fairly mature about this whole thing._

'He's really grown…'

"_I must say, you're handling this very well," he said, relaying his thoughts. _

"_Hey, I figure we can be professional about this. And I appreciate you being honest about me and Jinx." He paused. "Even if I don't really like it." Robin frowned, feeling a bit bad. "But hey, I'm sure you just gotta get used to it," the green teen said with a smile. "Maybe we can even go on a double date with you and Star." _

"_Heh. Maybe," Robin said, giving a small smile of his own. It was certainly an interesting prospect. There was another brief silence. "…You know, it's been awhile since we've been able to talk like this." _

"_It has, hasn't it?" Beast Boy realized, laughing a bit. "I almost forgot what it was like."_

_Another pause._

"_You've come a long way, Garfield."_

"_Hey, you know I don't like that," Beast Boy complained. "But… Thanks. Though I guess I should thank you for that. You've been a great role model after all." Robin look touched._

"…_That's all I can hope to be, really." Hearing this from his teammate meant a lot to him. Being a good influence to his team was what he strived for, and he was glad to know it was working._

"_But anyways…" Beast Boy yawned. "I'm getting a bit sleepy. We need to talk about anything else?" _

"_I think we've covered everything. Get some sleep; we've got a lot to do tomorrow." Beast Boy nodded._

"_Right. Mumbo." He got up. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," he gave his leader a half-salute half-wave before heading out. _

* * *

It had certainly been an interesting discussion, to say the least.

"Well, we've got a couple hours to kill." Jinx glanced at her phone. It was 2 PM. "Mind if I go talk to some of the others for a bit?" Jinx asked. "I mean we're going to be seeing each other all night, and I'd like to get to know the others better."

"Sounds good. I'm probably gonna go play some games. Meet you down here at 5?"

"Don't be late," Jinx said as she left the room. Beast Boy made his way to the couch to figure out what to play. Anything to get his mind off the clock would do.

* * *

Jinx plugged her ears as she opened the garage door. The music playing was loud enough to shake a few items on the wall. She noticed the T-car across the room, several tools scattered around it. A bench with a few boxes was nearby, along with a small radio where the ear-rupturing sounds were coming from. Cyborg was on a roller under the car, only his legs sticking out.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to hear her, she quickly made her way over to the radio and flipped it off.

"Hey!" Cyborg's voice yelled out from under the car. "How many times have I told you guys not to mess with-Oh." He rolled out into view, realizing who was in the garage with him. "I guess I haven't told you."

"If this is the norm, I'm amazed you haven't gone deaf," Jinx said, rubbing a finger in her ear. Cyborg pointed to his metal head.

"My hearing works a bit different." He stood up. "So what's up?"

"Eh, just getting to know everyone a bit more. Figured I'd see what you were working on."

"Just fixing something up under here. Care to give me a hand?"

"Sure, why not?" Jinx had nothing better to do. Cyborg nodded in appreciation, and went back under the car. "Hand me that wrench over there." Despite not being able to see the tools, he was clearly pointing at one in particular. She obliged, handing it to him. "Thanks." He worked for a few seconds before speaking again. "So, how you feeling? Getting the hang of things around here?"

"Eh, sorta. The tower's still kind of a maze to me."

"Hey, don't feel bad. I get lost sometimes, and I designed the damn thing," Cyborg said with a laugh.

"Morning training sucks, too. I mean I get it's important, but… Ugh."

"Hey, you don't have to tell me twice. Robin can be kind of a hard-ass."

"If there's anything I've learned in the day I've been here, it's that." The two teens shared a laugh. "Like, does he know what fun is?"

"Believe it or not, yes. Though he tends to get a bit too competitive when it comes to games and stuff. Like, any kind. Board, card, video, you name it."

"Oh, I can totally believe that." The mental image of the Boy Wonder flipping a table over losing Go Fish quickly came into her head. "Seriously, just how did he and Starfire end up together…?"

"Well it kinda makes sense. They complement each other so well," Cyborg pointed out. "Opposites attract and all that. It's why I expected BB and Rae to end up together for awhile." He paused, realizing who he was talking to. "Uh, not saying there's anything wrong with you and him," he said nervously.

"Heh. It was a bit unexpected, wasn't it?" Jinx couldn't help but agree with the tin can.

"Kinda." He slid out to look at her. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind me asking… Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why him? What do you see in the little grass stain anyway?" He sat up. "Again, not saying there's anything wrong with it. Just curious." Jinx couldn't help but be a bit amused at the term "grass stain". It would have sounded offensive from anyone besides Cyborg.

"Well…" She decided to indulge him, understanding why he was curious. Again, their relationship did come out of left field a bit. "It's hard to put into words. He just makes me feel good, you know? I just feel happy around him."

"Yeah, he has that effect on people. Even got Raven to open up after buggin' her nonstop. He's just a happy dude." Jinx nodded in agreement. "But that can't be it."

"No, it's not." She looked at the ceiling, sighing. "It's just… How much he trusts me. He could have taken me in the day he found me. But he let me go, assuming I hadn't done anything wrong. He acted like I'd never left the team." She smiled, recalling his words. "He… He really cares about me." Cyborg couldn't help but smile at her words. He already could tell they were really into each other, but he wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. "…Plus he's easy on the eyes. That cute little tooth, those big ears, and he's small but surprisingly muscular…"

"Oh boy…" Cyborg mentally facepalmed as she rambled on about Beast Boy's various features with starry eyes. "Alright, I get it." He grabbed another tool and slid back below the car.

"…Sorry," Jinx apologized, deciding to change the subject. "So… You build this yourself?"

"Sure did! She's my baby." Jinx rolled her eyes at the term "baby".

' _What is it with guys and their cars?'_

"I've had to take her apart and rebuild her more times than I can remember," he added. "I know her inside and out."

"Well, I don't know much about cars… But it does look nice."

"I know it does," he said proudly. Jinx could feel his cocky grin.

"Modesty isn't really your thing, is it?"

"Not when it comes to this. Hand me that one would you?" He pointed straight at another strange tool. Jinx was still amazed he knew where everything was in this clutter. She handed the object to him. "Got another tough question. Feel free to not answer, but… What exactly went down between you and Kid Flash anyway? You two seemed pretty happy for awhile there, and he never really explained to us what happened." He could hear knuckles crack as Jinx balled her hands into fists. "…That bad, huh?"

"Oh yeah. But I'll tell you." Cyborg knew this was going to be a long talk.

* * *

Beast Boy gave himself one more look in the mirror. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous; it wasn't like this was their actual first date. But even so, he was getting butterflies in his stomach. He checked the clock, which read 4:45.

"Almost time." He looked back in the mirror. He looked more or less the same as usual, except his hair was much straighter than usual. "You got this, man." Deciding to head down early, he grabbed what he needed and exited the room. As me moved down the hall, he thought about where to go for the night. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from and all sorts of other fun things they could do. But he also liked the idea of just going with the first thing they found.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts he didn't notice the other person in the hall. Naturally, he bumped right into them.

"Oh! Sorry, wasn't paying attention," he stammered, making sure the other person was alright. "…Oh, hey Rae."

Raven made a small noise to acknowledge him.

"Nice hair," she said dryly. Beast Boy was actually happy to hear a sarcastic quip from her. "What's the occasion?"

"Got a date with Jinx," the changeling said cheerfully. "Leaving in a few minutes for the night."

"Oh." Her reaction was as plain as her face. Beast Boy couldn't really gauge her feelings. "Have fun then."

"Thanks. See ya." He gave a small wave and moved past her. Raven looked back at him for a moment, and then continued to her room. She moved slightly quicker than before.

Beast Boy couldn't help but be a bit confused by her reaction. Normally he could get some idea of what she was feeling; he had learned a bit about catching emotional cues from her. But he noticed nothing this time.

'_I'm sure she's alright. We already cleared this up yesterday, after all._

…_Right?'_

* * *

Jinx exited her room, feeling a little giddy. She had managed to talk with Cyborg until about 4. After ranting about Kid Flash for a bit, they also discussed videogames, life at the H.I.V.E – Cyborg particularly wondering about Brother Blood – and a few other random topics before Jinx realized she needed to get ready for tonight. She had showered, having gotten some grease on her from the tools, and picked out a fresh outfit. It was of course identical to what she had been wearing before, but she wanted to make sure it was clean.

Talking to Cyborg was refreshing for her; having someone friendly to talk with besides Beast Boy was nice. He also seemed extremely supportive of their relationship once she explained her feelings a bit more. She could see where Beast Boy was coming from when he said Cyborg was like the big brother you always wanted.

She entered the kitchen to find Beast Boy already waiting. He was also in his normal outfit, which she was perfectly fine with. She noticed his hair was much straighter than usual. It looked somewhat unnatural on him.

"Damn girl, you look GOOD," Beast Boy greeted her as she entered with a big grin. She gave him an amused look, putting a hand on her hip.

"You realize this is my normal look."

"I know," he said with a wink. She knew that was coming, but it didn't make her feel any less flattered. They shared a quick hug.

"You're not looking bad yourself," Jinx said, looking him over slowly. "Except one thing." Beast Boy made a small noise as the mischievous girl suddenly ruffled his hair, returning it to its normal, messy state. "There."

"Hey, I spent like 5 whole minutes on that."

"But it looks better this way. Makes you look more… Wild." She practically whispered the last word. The morphing teen held out his hands, arching his fingers like they were claws.

"Raaar…" He playfully growled, closing what little distance was between him and Jinx. He gripped her shoulders and pulled her into a kiss, feeling her smiling against his lips as he did. They separated after a few seconds. He moved in for another, but she stopped him with a finger over his lips.

"Uh-uh-uh… Not yet," she said in a playful voice, eyes narrowing. "There'll be plenty of time for that later." While she desperately wanted more, holding off for later would make it feel even better.

"Aw… Fine," Beast Boy leaned back. He motioned to the door. "Shall we?"

The couple went through the doors into the warm summer evening. Beast Boy placed an arm around Jinx's waist. It was a bit lower than she was expecting, not that she minded. She rested her head on his shoulder a bit as they headed towards the city.

* * *

**Things may get a bit frisky next chapter…** **Once again, thank you all for your continued support! **


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